Love lost at first sight
by Thosadi Theijeijyndral
Summary: A normal four man team, three Genin and their sensei. But fate takes a turn for the worse, and the four man team is left with three. The three go their own ways, leaving Konoha, only to return a year later.
1. Prologue

Prologue

_1 year ago..._

At one of Konoha's many training grounds, four of Konoha's shinobi are practicing.

One, the oldest member of the group, is a Jonin of near ANBU level skill. The other three, all born in the same year, are all Genin. Each of the Genin is training separately, while their Jonin sensei offers criticism and suggestions for improvement. A boy, the eldest of the three Genin, works on his jutsus, which he is not particularly fond of using, nor is he very good with them. A girl, the youngest of the three, practices her taijutsu against wooden training dummies, taijutsu being her specialty, though she is competent enough in other areas of combat. The third, a girl, works to improve her ability with her clan's favored fighting style.

The eldest boy stops practicing, and turns to the Jonin. "Sensei... Why do I have to do these pointless exercises? I already know how to do these things..."

The youngest girl pulls herself away from her training. "Do not complain, as it will help you become that much stronger, Daisuke. Just look at myself, or Yuuna. We practice, and either of us can take you down any time. Right Yuuna?" She turns to look at the other girl as she asks her question.

Yuuna, however, does not even so much as turn to look at her teammates, let alone speak, she just continues practicing.

The older girl waits for an answer, but after a moment, decides she isn't going to get one, so she turns back to the boy. "You see, Daisuke, if you showed more spirit, like Yuuna, and just did as you were told for once, you might see how it can benefit you."

"Well, maybe if I could get an answer from the person I actually ask a question without you giving me your opinion first, maybe I'd learn to see how other people think, and I wouldn't need to ask questions. Then I would do as I was told more often."

The Jonin was used to having these two fight about things. Regardless of circumstances, they'd find something to fight about. He usually let them argue for a while before resolving the issue. He stepped between his two fighting students to separate them. "Daisuke, Naoko, stop bickering. Daisuke, these exercises aren't pointless. Even though you may not like using jutsus, you still have to learn to use them. It is likely your opponent will use jutsus and if you can't use them, how will you know how to fight against them?"

"Aww... But Sensei... Jutsus are so boring..."

"You think jutsus are boring? Yuuna, please come over here. I have a demonstration I would like to make. Daisuke, have you ever seen a summoning jutsu?"

_3 days ago..._

Immediately upon returning from their week long mission, one team of shinobi makes their way to the office of the Hokage.

The Jonin steps forward. "Hokage-sama, Team 12, reporting a successful mission."

The Hokage glances up from some paperwork. "Well done Kazuki-san. Currently, there are no missions available for your team. The four of you have the next two days off. Dismissed."

"Hai, Hokage-sama"

The four members of team 12 left the building, each glad they had two days off. Before they split up and went their separate ways, Kazuki said he wished to speak with them. "Naoko, keep working on improving your speed, try using more weight while you train. I've noticed your taijutsu has been steadily declining in speed during training. Yuuna, I suggest you get someone from your family to help you work on your fighting style. I don't particularly know much about it, so I can't be of much help, but from what I've seen previously, it seems to be getting a little sloppy. Daisuke, it's only two days, so don't get into too much trouble, alright?"

Naoko and Yuuna nodded their agreement. Daisuke just grinned. The four of them walked off in their separate directions, as each had plans of their own.

_The previous day..._

Naoko, Daisuke, and Yuuna made their way to the Hokage's office. They had been called in for an emergency meeting. All three waited outside the doors to the Hokage's office, waiting for their sensei to show up, expecting the meeting to be something about a mission. One of the Hokage's assistants saw them waiting and told them to go in, and that they didn't need to wait for their sensei.

Naoko was first into the office, followed closely by Daisuke. Yuuna made her way in more slowly, not feeling any particular need to rush, as her teammates did.

Naoko spoke up first, eager to be sent on a mission. "Hokage-sama, you called us in?"

"Hai. I have some... rather unpleasant news for you three. I had sent Kazuki out in a four man squad of Jonin on an A-ranked mission two days ago. Earlier today, one of the members of his team returned to report on the mission. Naoko, Yuuna, Daisuke... Kazuki was killed along with two of the other members of his squad. That is all I needed to say."

The three Genin were stunned by the news. They all left the office silently. On their way out of the building, Daisuke saw that his two teammates were on the verge of tears. "Naoko... Yuuna... Kazuki may not be here anymore, but... but we still need to be strong. Naoko, remember when we were fighting over whether it was okay to be angry at someone for something they did, even if their intentions were right? When he broke us apart, remember what he said to us? 'A shinobi needs to conceal emotion at times, but needs to let them out at other times. It takes a wise shinobi to know when to show emotion and when to hide it. It takes a strong shinobi to show or hide emotion when you know you should, but don't want to. In a situation like the one you two were arguing over, the question isn't whether you should you be angry, the question is should you show your anger.' Well, I think now is one of the times we need to hide our emotion, we need to be strong."

Naoko stared at Daisuke for a moment before wiping the tears out of her eyes. She smiled slightly at Daisuke. "You're right. For once, you're actually right."

Yuuna also wiped the tears from her eyes and put her usual emotionless expression back in place. "The idiot actually made sense for once."

_Present day..._

A distressed Jonin burst into the Hokage's office. "Hokage-sama! Three shinobi have gone missing!"

"What? Who are they?"

The Jonin looked away for a moment. Unsure of an easier way to break the news, he spoke quietly when he responded. "The three Genin that were students to the now deceased Jonin, Kazuki. Hyuuga Yuuna, Yamanashi Naoko, and Ehime Daisuke."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_One year later..._

One shinobi, carrying numerous scrolls of various sizes and wearing a headband with the symbol of Konoha, stopped twenty paces from the main gates of his place of birth. "Konoha has changed quite a bit since I was here last. If only Naoko and Yuuna were here to see it now..."

The shinobi walked in through the open gates. Nobody knew who he was, despite the fact that he had only been gone a year. He was surprised, he didn't think he'd changed that much. Then again, the last time he was here, the only way he'd be carrying as many scrolls as he is would be if he was taking them to somebody.

After his year of solitary training, he'd improved on many of his skills. He'd even earned a reputation for himself in some cities he'd passed through. He had always spent three days in any city he passed through. One day to locate anything he might wish to acquire, one day to either make a deal with it's current owner or to continue searching, and one day to actually acquire it. His favored method was challenging it's owner. If the owner was able-bodied, he or she would fight for him or herself, if not, the owner could find someone to fight in their stead.

"My first day back in Konoha... I wonder how well I still know this place."

As he walked through the city, he received many looks, some curious about his scrolls, some angry because they had lost something to him, some nonchalant or uncaring, some awed at his reputation. The city itself hadn't changed much though. He knew his way around. His first stop was the office of the Hokage himself.

He knocked on the door to the office, and heard someone say 'come in' from the other side. He opened the door and walked into the office confidently. He knew exactly what he was doing. He had prepared for this meeting.

He continued walking right up to the desk of the Hokage, then stopped. He looked the Hokage straight in the eye.

"I am one of the three Genin students of the Jonin deceased as of one year ago, Kazuki. My name is Ehime Daisuke."

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Two shinobi were facing one another, each in their own fighting stance. The field around them was strewn with weaponry of various kinds. One looked exhausted, the other had barely broken a sweat.

"But Neji, we've been training for four hours straight, can't we take a break now?"

"Fine Tenten. Ten minutes."

Though Tenten had been hoping for more, she was glad she had gotten him to let her take a break at all. She immediately fell to the ground where she was to catch her breath and rest. Neji came over and sat next to her.

While Tenten rested, Neji would usually sit silently until the break was over. Or, that was what he did until they had begun their relationship.

Neji handed Tenten a bottle of water and watched her drink. When she finished, she handed the bottle back. Neji took her hand and just held it while she lay on the grass while he stared at the sky. Night was coming, and stars were becoming visible.

"Neji? What do you see when you look up at night?"

"Stars."

"You know what I meant."

"I do, but that doesn't change my answer."

"Do you ever stop being so serious?"

Neji answered her question by pulling her up so she was sitting, then kissing her, passionately, but only for a second.

After a little while, Neji broke the silence. "Ten minutes have passed, the break is over."

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Daisuke had spent nearly an hour searching for somewhere to spend the night. He didn't have much money with him, so he couldn't stay at most places, and he couldn't stay at the apartment he had lived in a year ago, as it now had new residents. But he had finally found somewhere he could stay for a little while. It was a small room in a small hotel, but it was enough. Daisuke dropped off his things and went out to wander the city. After having been gone a year, he wanted to go out and see what had changed.

He had only taken a few steps out of the hotel when saw people pointing at him and talking amongst themselves. He pretended not to pay any attention to them, and in doing so, he only heard a few things that were said. Apparently, he had gained quite a bit of fame, and a title. And now people paid him as much respect as they would a Jonin or an ANBU member. Everyone seemed happy to see him, and he was all anyone would talk about while he was nearby.

After walking for a few minutes more he heard a familiar voice. He was by the main gate, but he couldn't remember who the voice belonged to.

Then he saw the person whose voice he was hearing. She was talking with one of the friends she had before she had left. Her friend left almost as soon as Daisuke saw the two of them talking. Daisuke walked to the girl he hadn't seen for a year.

"Yuuna?"

"Oh, hello..." She cut off abruptly as she realized who had said her name. "Daisuke? Is that really you? What are you doing here? I thought you'd had enough of Konoha, what with Kazuki..."

Daisuke interrupted her before she said something that would reopen old wounds. "Yes, it's really me. I thought I was fed up with Konoha, but you don't really know how much something means until it's gone... If only Naoko were here, then this reunion would be complete. Speaking of Naoko, have you heard from her?"

Yuuna's face went from joyous and glad to disheartened in an instant. "I've heard about her. She... was killed by shinobi who are against Konoha about three months ago..."

"So the legacy of team 12 lives on in only the two of us... It seems so unreal that Naoko is dead... She was always so full of energy."

"So were you, if I recall correctly. But look at you now, you seem so much more reserved. You must've grown up while I wasn't looking."

"What's this? Emotionless Yuuna is making wisecracks now?"

Yuuna smirked. "Anyways, it was nice seeing you again, but I've got to go. I'm expected to arrive for a formal dinner soon."

Daisuke watched Yuuna depart, wondering how long she had been in the city.

"Wait, Yuuna!" Daisuke jogged to catch up to Yuuna more quickly. "Tomorrow, maybe we could meet somewhere. We've got a lot of catching up to do."

"That's fine with me. Why don't you meet me at the gate about noon?"

Daisuke watched Yuuna depart with a smile on his face.

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"Neji, I don't think I have enough energy to even stand anymore... Let's call it a night."

"Fine."

"Neji?"

Neji turned to look at Tenten, who seemed to be having trouble finding the energy to move. Neji smirked as he helped Tenten to her feet. He had to continue to support her. "You need to be more careful with conserving chakra."

Tenten looked at Neji, then looked away.

"I had thought you'd be more careful this time. This isn't the first time this has happened. I guess I'll just have to walk you home again."

Tenten smiled. Neji wouldn't often show much affection at all, so even things like this were rare. After a few steps, she spoke up. "Thank you Neji."

"Hn."

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Daisuke woke up as the sun rose. He glanced at his clock. "Only five thirty? Feels later than that. Oh well, guess I can get in a few hours of training before going to see Yuuna."

Daisuke pulled himself from bed and dressed for training. He gathered his scrolls and made his way to the nearest training ground.

"Good, nobody else is here. That leaves a lot more space for me."

Daisuke took two of his scrolls and opened them. He looked over the scrolls to make sure he had everything down correctly. He did the same with the rest of his scrolls afterwards.

"Alright, everything is in order. It's time to begin. And I have got to stop talking to myself."

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Yuuna woke up at seven thirty as her alarm went off. She shut it off then got out of bed while rubbing her eyes. She put on the deep blue t-shirt and black pants she usually wore and left her bedroom, only to be greeted by one of the other members of the household.

"Good morning, Yuuna-sama. Would you like something to eat?"

"No thank you, I'm not hungry at the moment."

Yuuna had left the Hyuuga compound. She was planning on seeing if her old friends had some time to chat.

"Wait, Yuuna-sama!"

Yuuna turned around to see who was calling her name.

One of the branch family members caught up to her and bowed. "Hiashi-sama has requested to speak with you."

Yuuna walked back into the compound slowly. She had known she would have to speak with him sooner or later, but that didn't make doing so any easier.

She knocked on the door of the room she had been told Hiashi was in. "Hiashi-sama, I was told you wished to speak with me."

"Ah, yes, come in Yuuna."

Yuuna entered the room cautiously, unsure of what to expect. She took a seat when Hiashi motioned for her to do so.

Hiashi spoke first. "You were missing from all records for a year. Is this correct?"

"It is."

"The remainder of your team was also missing."

"They were."

"You have been welcomed back into this village and this household with open arms. Do you know why?"

"I haven't the slightest clue."

"It is because you returned after one of your teammates. And he went straight to the Hokage, to explain why the three of you were missing." Yuuna was taken aback. Daisuke had never been that responsible before. The year away from the village must really have changed him. "He claimed it was for training reasons, that the three of you left to improve on your own. I have seen him train recently, and he has improved greatly. He would have little trouble becoming a Jonin if he wanted to. Seeing his improvement, I've decided to see how you've improved before deciding how I should treat your absence. I would like you to spar with the clan's prodigy, Neji. He is a branch member, but do not take him lightly."

"I understand. When should this match take place?"

"Either today or tomorrow. I wold like it out of the way as soon as possible, but I do not wish to rush you so soon after returning to the village."

"I would prefer it to take place tomorrow. I have already made plans for today."

"I will have Neji informed. I look forward to seeing you in action. Do not disappoint me."

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A knock on his door woke him up. "Neji, Hiashi wishes to speak with you."

Neji got himself out of bed and dressed quickly. He made sure he was presentable, then left his room. He hurried to Hiashi's office and knocked on the door. "Hiashi-sama, I was told you wished to see me."

"Come in Neji. I have something I would like to discuss with you."

Neji opened the door and walked in, still somewhat sleepy from having been woken up so abruptly.

"Neji, I know you know about the arrival yesterday, so I'll get right to the point. I want you to have a match with Yuuna tomorrow. It is a test of her abilities, so do not hold back. I will attend to see her improvement, but I also intend to see how you have improved. I expect great things from both of you."

'I understand, Hiashi-sama."

"Good. You are dismissed."

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Daisuke glanced around, looking for Yuuna. It was noon, and he was waiting at the main gate. It was unusual for her to be late to anything. He was about to go looking for her when he saw her hurrying towards him. At least she knew she was late.

Yuuna stopped once she was withing a few feet of Daisuke. "Sorry I'm late," she began, panting. "I had a surprise meeting with Hiashi."

"Hiashi? What did he want?"

"I'm supposed to show him how much I've improved against one of the clan's prodigies."

"And how much have you improved?"

"Daisuke, you should know me well enough to know that I've improved a great deal. I've been training the whole year I was away, even if you weren't."

"You don't think I was training? I'm insulted."

"So prove to me that you were."

"You're on. Good old training field twenty six. Do you need to get anything beforehand?"

"I need to pick up a few things, yes."

"Alright. I'll meet you there in ten minutes. I've already got everything I need, and am prepared for a fight anytime, as a good ninja should be."

The two of them went their separate ways. Daisuke was calm and ready, he had earned a reputation while he was away, and knew he was good. Yuuna, however, was not so calm. She had been training alone, and hadn't had a chance to test herself against anyone else in a while.

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Daisuke sat in the middle of the training field. He had chosen this training field not because it was the one his team had trained on so many times before. He had chosen it because it was very open, there was little place to hide, and neither of the two of them would want anywhere to hide. This training ground would benefit the two of them the most. It was also close enough to a busy part of the city that onlookers might happen to cast a glance towards anybody there and see what was going on. So if there happened to be a crowd watching him as he beat Yuuna...

"Daisuke, you'd better be ready."

"Yuuna, you're actually on time."

"Of course I am. Last time I was only late because Hiashi wanted to see me and..."

Daisuke interrupted her. "Excuses, excuses. Let's just get started so I can take you down already."

"What makes you think you're going to win?"

"Just call it an educated guess."

"Still arrogant as ever, Daisuke. You couldn't beat me before, and you can't beat me now."

"Enough small talk, then."

Yuuna assumed the traditional fighting stance of the Hyuuga clan. "I don't even think I'll need the Byakugan for this."

Daisuke took one scroll in each hand. "Go ahead and use it. You won't win, even if you do use it."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Yuuna stood, ready for any move Daisuke made. Just looking at the scrolls in his hands gave her no clue as to their purpose, and she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of activating her Byakugan so soon. Especially not after what she had just said. "Well then, if you're so certain, make your move. I doubt you'll be able to so much as lay a finger on me."

Daisuke had reconsidered his actions. He had drawn out his scrolls, but he had changed his mind and had decided to attack in a manner he was sure Yuuna expected him to. He put the scrolls back where they had previously been. "Fine, if you're so eager for me to end this, I will."

Daisuke drew two kunai and threw them both at Yuuna. Immediately as they left his hands, he was running at her, drawing a kunai into each hand. Yuuna had been ready, and had expected such a first move. She jumped off to one side, hardly breaking her stance, but effectively dodging the kunai. As Daisuke drew near, she readied herself for the moment of impact. At the last possible moment, Daisuke stopped his charge and leaped away, just in time to avoid being hit as Yuuna executed her **Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation**. As her rotating slowed, he threw another kunai at her and charged again, the second kunai still in his hand. Once again, Yuuna leaped to one side while keeping her stance. This time, however, Daisuke was not using the same plan of action. He threw his second Kunai as she was in the air, right at the spot she was going to land. She wouldn't have time to jump away again. Yuuna threw a kunai of her own to intercept Daisuke's. But he continued throwing more. As Yuuna landed, she was already fending off projectiles with the two kunai she had drawn in midair.

"I had expected more of the traditional fighting styles out of you, Yuuna. So far, I've seen one technique and a whole lot of defending. You're going to need to step up your game."

Yuuna had also expected him to start taunting her when he had the upper hand. While blocking his onslaught, she found an opening to leap away. While in midair, she threw two kunai of her own, to force him to cease throwing, even if just for a little while. That moment was enough. Yuuna landed and was in her fighting stance again by the time Daisuke recuperated.

Daisuke's expression abruptly changed from his joyful, outgoing expression to a more serious expression that an experienced warrior many years older than him might wear. "Yuuna, what do you say we stop kidding around. I think it's time I stopped messing with you. I can see you've improved, so, being the friend that I am, I'm going to give you credit for what you've accomplished. I warn you, I'm not going to hold back, so you will likely be injured."

"Daisuke, you say one thing, then immediately contradict yourself. You say you give me credit, then you insult my skills. I'll tell you right now you don't need to worry about me being the one who might get injured."

Daisuke again pulled out the two scrolls he had held a few minutes ago. He spent a moment thinking over whether or not he really wanted to use his new methods, or if he wanted to beat Yuuna with his old ones. The decision didn't take long to make. "I warned you..." He unrolled the two scrolls simultaneously along the ground infront of him. He made a few quick handsigns. "**Summoning: Scorpion Burrow**. **Summoning: Cat's Claw.**" Both scrolls erupted into plumes of smoke.

Yuuna was taken aback. Never before had anything like this taken place. "Two summons at once? But how can that be possible?"

From the smoke burst a large tiger, leaping straight at Yuuna. Yuuna didn't have much time to react, and since there was no way to block such a large mass, she had to leap out of the way. She made it out of the way just in time. The large cat landed right where she had previously been. It let out a low growl as it leaped for Yuuna again. This pattern continued for a while, the tiger unable to land near enough to Yuuna, but Yuuna unable to find an opening to get at the tiger.

One more leap away from the tiger. Yuuna landed, ready to leap away again, but the ground beneath her feet moved. Two large claws burst from the ground straight at Yuuna. She barely managed to leap away in time to avoid them. The claws continued rising from the ground, and with them, the rest of the large scorpion rose as well. Yuuna, already tiring quickly from avoiding the tiger knew she had little chance against two opponents. Just as she activated her Byakugan, she felt cold metal against her neck.

"Yuuna, it seems you let your guard down. You forgot about me, I'm insulted."

Yuuna, panting heavily from the exertion let her Byakugan fade without having used it in the least.

Daisuke moved the kunai from hr throat and put it away. "You're good, I'll give you that. Most people don't last past the minute mark just facing off with my tiger. You held out against him and managed to avoid the scorpion's trap. If only you had activated your eyes sooner..."

"Daisuke, how is it possible you made two summons at once? And of such different species... Not many people use summons so effectively, and those who do only have one family of animals they can summon."

"What do you think I spent the year doing? Relaxing and shirking off my training? I might have spent some of it doing that, but most of it was exhausting. And I can summon so much more than just these two, I have a scroll for each animal." Daisuke motioned at the scrolls he carried. "I've gathered so many scrolls, and made so many of my own... I look back on it and wonder how different I'd be if I had pursued a different method of fighting."

"As exhausting as that was, it's the best training I've had in a while."

"Good luck with your match tomorrow. Hope this helped."

"Thanks. Wait... I never said anything about a match tomorrow, how did you know?"

"Hiashi wanted to see you about something important and you referred to our bout as training. Not may other conclusions fit, and that's the only one that fits you."

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"Oh, please Neji? Why don't you want to come with?"

"I have no reason to see such a man. While his style is close enough to yours that his experience might be able to help you, it is in no way related to mine. I wouldn't benefit from going, so I'd rather train."

"You'd rather train than see somebody famous? Oh well... I guess I'll go alone then. See you later Neji!"

"Hn."

Tenten jumped off into the trees surrounding the training ground while Neji assumed his usual fighting stance, even without his partner, he would still train.

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Daisuke and Yuuna had gone their serparate ways, Yuuna heading home to rest, Daisuke going to find somewhere to get something to eat.

Daisuke had only walked the streets of Konoha for a few minutes when he found a decent restaurant. Just as he was about to enter, someone caught his sleeve. He turned to see who the hand gripping his sleeve belonged to, and was not surprised to find it was a girl not much younger than he was.

Daisuke smiled kindly. "Might I help you with something?"

The girl who held his sleeve looked at him, surprised. "From the rumors about you I've heard, I'd thought you were older... But that's not why I wanted to talk to you. I've heard you're good with summons, and I thought you could help me. The main part of what I do is based around weapons, and I carry scrolls to summon them so I don't have to carry them all..."

"And you want me to show you some things I've learned to help you better yourself?" Daisuke thought for a moment. "What's your name?

"Oh! I'm Tenten, and yes, I would very much like you to help me... Would you?"

"Right now, I was going to get something to eat, but I suppose afterwards I could show you a thing or two. Alright, bring your equipment to training ground twenty six in thirty minutes."

"Oh, thank you! I'll be there!" With that, Tenten ran off to gather her things.

Daisuke entered the restaurant and ordered his food. "She seems like a nice girl. I wonder how good she actually is..."

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Yuuna arrived home quickly enough, but she was exhausted. She wanted to take a nice long hot bath.

While she was distracted, she bumped into somebody.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going." Then she recognized who she had bumped into. "You're Neji, right?"

"And you're Yuuna."

"You know my name? But I've only been here two days..."

"Exactly."

Yuuna watched Neji leave. Then she realized she was still exhausted and went to get the bath she wanted. "I'm supposed to fight him tomorrow... He looked good. I'm not going to win this fight easily..."

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Daisuke finished his meal and paid for it. He checked the time before he left the restaurant. "Good, I've got a few minutes to get there." He walked to the training ground he had told the girl to meet him at. He was going to show up a little bit early, but that was fine with him.

Tenten sat, waiting for half an hour to have passed.

Daisuke arrived, one minute sooner than the time he had told her to meet him, but she looked as though she had been waiting for a while. "You're early."

"I didn't need thirty minutes to get ready, so I figured I'd wait."

"Alright then. You wanted me to show you some things about summoning. In order for me to do that, I need to see you summon something first. Then I can show you what you can improve and how to improve it."

Tenten took one of the scrolls she was carrying and unraveled it. "Hai." She summoned a kunai while he watched.

"Hmm... That's good, I can tell you've practiced that a lot. First thing I'll point out, you used a little bit too much chakra. Not enough to make a difference with one summoning, but it adds up to be a big waste if you summon enough. The best way to fix that problem is to consciously make an effort to use less chakra. You'll find the minimum amount you can possibly use to summon through trial and error."

"I wonder why Neji never noticed I was wasting chakra..." Tenten mumbled to herself.

"The second thing I'll say isn't a problem, it's a suggestion. I've discovered a technique for summoning that makes it much more efficient in battle. It allows you to store chakra in the scroll you use for summoning beforehand so you don't have to use the chakra in battle, thus you have more chakra for the battle itself. Here, I'll show you how to do it." He pulled out a blank scroll. He bit his thumb to make it bleed, then wrote on the scroll the way he would to actually preform the summoning. "By putting in chakra as you make the symbols, you can save the summon for whenever you wish to use it, and simply by activating it, you can summon without spending any more chakra. Third, it is possible to summon with each hand at the same time. Difficult, yes, but possible. If you can pull off these three things, you'll find yourself with the ability to keep fighting for much longer."

Tenten tried to imagine Neji's reaction when he saw how much more she could do once she had mastered the three things. She spoke absentmindedly, since she was in thought. "I can see how those three things would help a lot..."

"Try summoning something else, but control the amount of chakra you use. I've got time, and I'd like to see you master at least the first of the three. It will aid you in perfecting the other two, so it is important."

"Hai." Tenten tried summoning a different weapon, this time she paid close attention to her chakra use. She used a little bit less than she had the first time. The weapon was still successfully summoned. "You were right, I was using too much."

"Keep trying, you'll find the minimum soon enough. After that, it's just making sure to use the minimum every time you summon."

"You know, you agreed to teach me, and I have already given you my name, but I haven't gotten yours."

"Daisuke."

"Well then, Daisuke-sensei, thank you for everything you've taught me."

"Just Daisuke please, people adding sensei to my name makes me feel old."

"Hai, Daisuke."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_The next day..._

Yuuna woke up as the sun rose, as most people in the compound did. She yawned as she got herself out of bed. It was already hot, and it was still early in the morning. With a sigh, she dressed quickly in light clothes, hoping to get in a little bit of last minute mental preparation before her match with Neji.

She was out of her room in a little under ten minutes, and was at the training ground that Hiashi had told the two of them their match would take place. She arrived, and was surprised to find Neji already waiting. Hiashi had said he would watch the whole match, and would tell them when to begin. Since he wasn't here yet, Yuuna sat and calmly waited for him to arrive.

When Hiashi finally arrived, Yuuna realized she had been at least an hour early. And during the wait, she had finished waking up and adjusting to the morning light. Fully rested and now adjusted to her surroundings, she was at her best. But that meant Neji was too. A match between two of the Hyuuga clan's most promising members at their best. This promised to be interesting.

Yuuna was glad she wore light clothing. As the two of them waited, it only got hotter. She could see Neji was uncomfortable and she could tell he didn't dress for the heat.

Hiashi finally arrived about two hours after Yuuna had. Both Neji and Yuuna had moved into shade once the sun was high enough in the sky to shine on them. They hadn't spoken to each other the entire time they had been there. They had both been conserving their energy for the match. They both looked up at the same time to see Hiashi arrive. Both glanced at the other and stood up. They moved from their spot in the shade to a spot close to the middle of the training ground.

Hiashi looked at the two of them, making sure they were ready. He found a spot in some shade to stand where he wouldn't be in the way, but would still have a good view. "Begin when ready."

Upon hearing the three words that began the match, both competitors reacted immediately. Neji shifted into his usual fighting stance and drew a kunai with one hand. Yuuna remembered doing the exact same thing the previous day, and immediately she thought of how Daisuke had exploited a major weakness so easily. Yuuna ran at Neji with two kunai drawn. As she expected, Neji executed an **Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation**. Yuuna leaped away and threw a kunai as the rotations ceased. Neji blocked the kunai, but doing so held his attention just long enough for Yuuna to come at him again, with one kunai still in her hand.

Neji was used to holding his own against incoming projectiles, but he hadn't had the practice against fighting an opponent who combined projectiles with hand-to-hand combat. He brought his own kunai to meet Yuuna's and his hand to knock her's away, but her leg came up in a swift motion. He realized he had fallen for a feint as her kick connected. No longer underestimating Yuuna, he activated his Byakugan.

Yuuna watched Neji take everything in, when she remembered she had yet to activate her own eyes. She smiled inwardly, but activated her Byakugan so she wouldn't be at a disadvantage. The prodigy and the newcomer stood, watching each other for a moment. Then they both rushed the other. Flurries of potentially lethal strikes flew from both, but none of them landed. Every so often, one would land a glancing blow on the other, but it wasn't a solid enough hit to have much effect. Finally, Yuuna landed a solid strike to Neji's upper arm. His arm hung loosely, now useless. Yuuna used this as an advantage, and soon hit Neji's other arm.

Neji tried futilely to move either of his arms, but he got no response from them. He fell to the ground, ending up in a sitting position, so he could rest. He looked over in Hiashi's direction, catching his eye. "I'm forfeiting. There is no chance I can win now." He turned his head to face Yuuna, as if seeing a new person than he had when they had first met, which wasn't far from the truth. The Yuuna he had first met was well rested, well groomed, and looked rather happy. The Yuuna in front of him now was a disheveled mess, her hair had come loose from the single braid she usually kept it in, she was sweating from the heat and exertion, and panting loudly. She still looked happy, though.

Hiashi calmly walked towards the two. "Yuuna, you have clearly displayed your level of skill, which, I might add, are near, if not above, that of any other clan member." Then he turned to Neji. "You are also quite talented. After seeing what she is capable of, I am surprised you lasted as long as you did. I have been underestimating your proficiency with the Gentle Fist. I would like to step up your training. Yuuna, Neji, I would like the two of you to spar as often as possible. I do not need to use my valuable time to teach either of you when you can help one another. However, once every two weeks, I wish to train each of you myself, to monitor your progress, and to teach you the most advanced techniques of this clan."

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Eight in the morning rolled around, and Daisuke rose from his sleep just afterwards. He had a mission today. He would have preferred to continue sleeping, but the Hokage had required him to attend a meeting before the mission actually took place. Since he had been away, he hadn't had the time to get to know many people, let alone the other shinobi of the village. So now he was to attend a gathering of the three he was going on this mission with.

He was still technically a Genin, since he had never taken the Chunin exams, but if he had the chance, he could easily be promoted to Jonin. Thus, the Hokage had to send him on a Genin level mission. With two other Genin and a Jonin leader.

Daisuke arrived at the Hokage's office for the second time in three days. He knocked on the door and waited until he was told to enter. Upon doing so, he saw the team that would accompany him on the mission.

One familiar face and two unfamiliar ones joined the Hokage's in watching Daisuke for a moment. The three face soon turned back to the Hokage.

Immediately recognizing her face, despite having only met the previous day, Daisuke felt obligated to break the silence that had followed him into the office. "Tenten, it's nice to see you again."

"Daisuke! You're Neji's replacement? Hokage-sama, why didn't you tell me it was Daisuke?"

Tenten's teammates stared at Tenten incredulously. The Jonin spoke up. "Tenten, how is it you've already made the acquaintance of this young man, when he has only been in the village for two days?"

"I actually met him yesterday. Oh! I haven't introduced you yet!" She waved one hand towards the boy about her own age wearing an unusual green outfit. "Daisuke, this is Rock Lee, my teammate and friend. Lee, this is Daisuke."

"Daisuke, it is my pleasure to meet you. I am..."

"Lee, please don't get into any long winded introductory speeches about yourself." Tenten interrupted. She waved her hand at the Jonin. "And this is Gai-sensei. He's a little odd, but you'll get used to it."

"Daisuke! You're looking incredibly youthful! I'm proud to have such a student on my team, even if it is only temporarily. I've heard of your reputation. You'll be a valued member of Team Gai for the duration of your assistance."

Daisuke hadn't said anything during the introductions, and had barely nodded his head in greeting when Tenten introduced him to the two. Not that he was shy, in fact he was close to the opposite. He was just surprised by how well this team seemed to get along, it was such a contrast to the nearly constant bickering and complaining of his own team.

The Hokage, noting that the introductions were over, coughed lightly to get the attention of the four others in the office. "I'm sure you're wondering why you needed a replacement for Neji."

Tenten leaned over to Daisuke to whisper in his ear. "Neji was our fourth member."

The Hokage continued, ignoring her small interruption. "Neji had a match with the other of the two arrivals to this village, as ordered by Hiashi. I was informed the match was incredibly taxing and exhausting. He will be confined to his bed for three days, minimum, so he will be unable to join you for this mission."

Unable to contain the question, Daisuke just blurted it out. "And Yuuna?"

"Yuuna? Ah, yes, the other of our recent arrivals. She will also be confined to bed for three days, though she doesn't seem to need it as much and will most likely be fine after a day."

"In that case, Hokage-sama, I have a request before we leave for this mission. I would like to pay Yuuna a visit."

"Understood. Tenten, since you seem to know Daisuke already, why don't you go with and show him the way. When you are finished there, gather anything you'll need for this mission and meet Gai and Lee at the main gates. Gai, Lee, the two of you need to gather anything you'll need and wait for Tenten and Daisuke at the main gates. That is all. Dismissed."

The four all spoke at once before exiting the office. "Hai."

Tenten grabbed Daisuke's hand and pulled him off towards the Hyuuga compound at a sprint.

"Why do we have to move so quickly?"

"Gai-sensei and Lee will be at the gates, ready to go, in a matter of minutes, and I don't like to keep them waiting for too long."

"Reasonable enough."

The two of them arrived at the front gates to the Hyuuga compound and were admitted to see Yuuna quickly enough, due to the guards recognizing Tenten. Yuuna was asleep, so Daisuke left a message with one of the attendants before leaving.

Daisuke and Tenten split up to go gather their things. Or rather, Daisuke headed for the main gates, already having prepared to leave, while Tenten rushed home to gather her things.

Daisuke found Gai and Lee waiting at the gates, the two of them deeply involved in a conversation. They had nearly identical stances, their hair style was the same, and wore the same outfit, save that Lee wasn't highly enough ranked to have a vest. Daisuke muttered to himself under his breath. I've heard that copying is one of the sincerest forms of admiration, but that's going a bit too far."

Tenten didn't take long to arrive. Gai and Lee were still continuing the same conversation they'd been having when Daisuke had arrived, and Daisuke looked absentminded, as though his mind wasn't currently focusing on reality at the moment. "Are the two of them talking about youth again?"

Daisuke seemed to snap back to reality. "What? Oh, yes, they've been going on like that since I got here."

"Alright, Gai-sensei, we're all here and ready to go."

Gai broke from his heated conversation with Lee long enough to realize that her words were true. "Alright, let's move, due to the setback in time caused by Daisuke's last minute request, I suggest we move double speed until we've made up for lost time."

"Gai-sensei! We could easily manage triple! Possibly even quadru..."

Tenten interrupted Lee before he could say anything she'd regret him saying. "Lee! You can't just speak for other people. What about Daisuke? He's not used to moving even double speed. How can he..."

Daisuke cut her off. "Tenten, you've just completely contradicted yourself. Anyways, I think I can manage triple speed. Maybe we should go with quadruple, since we've just wasted more time decided how quickly we should move."

Tenten was used to having Neji's voice of reason back her up and stop the team from going faster than was necessary. Daisuke's encouragement was new to her, and she was visibly taken aback. Now it was three to one, and she was outnumbered.

"Don't worry about it Tenten, as a teammate, I'll give you a hand if you start to tire out too quickly."

After a moment, Tenten broke out of her thoughts to stare at Daisuke incredulously. Lee and Gai never made such an offer, and Neji probably didn't think about how she might be unable to keep up.

Gai, however, was not so caught up in thought. "Daisuke! What a youthful suggestion! To improve my stamina, I will carry extra weight while I travel!" Lee shouted something about agreeing with Gai, and the two had another conversation about how much weight to add.

Daisuke and Tenten both sighed. Already Daisuke began to feel like a part of the team. "Hey, the two of you need to focus on the mission. Which, I might add, no one has told me about yet."

Assuming his 'nice guy' pose, Gai turned to Daisuke. "Absolutely correct, Daisuke! You've got the wisdom of a man many times your age, but youth to be envied. I'll explain the mission once we're on our way. Triple speed everyone, let's move!"


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 4

Team Gai, with it's temporary replacement, had held true to its word, and was moving three times their usual pace. After less than a minute, Daisuke spoke up, breaking the silence. "Alright, we're on our way, now will you please tell me exactly what this mission is? And while you're at it, would you mind telling me why you wouldn't tell until we were moving?"

Daisuke glanced at his current teammates, but judging by the looks on their faces, they didn't know much about the mission either.

Tenten was quick to use Daisuke's opening to pry some more information from Gai. "He's right, Gai, none of us can hope to succeed on a mission we know next to nothing about. If you're the only one who knows, how can the three of us be of any use?"

Gai looked straight ahead, to avoid having to look at any of them. "You're both correct. I've waited until now because I was unsure of how to tell you three. Daisuke, I know you'll be pleased to hear this news. Tenten, Lee, I can't assure either of you that you'll be very glad. This mission, though you were told to expect a normal C-Rank mission, you were never told the actual rank of this mission."

Daisuke sped up just a bit, so he could run alongside Gai. "This mission is actually a B-Ranked mission, though it has the possibility to become A-Rank."

Gai was incredibly surprised. "How did you figure that out already?"

"By the things you're carrying. You've got too many emergency supplies, and you've got a direct method of contact to the Hokage. You wouldn't have brought those things on a C-Rank. Also, while I'm on the subject, you obviously don't trust me, and I don't particularly like it, I don't mean to be offensive." Daisuke stopped running, and Gai did likewise, while making sure not to look at Daisuke. "But you've also brought the supplies necessary to restrain a target, but you have already told us to kill on sight, so you've prepared for a scenario in which I do something dangerous or stupid."

Tenten gasped in shock as she and Lee stopped near Daisuke and Gai. She was surprised she hadn't noticed such things herself, but she was also surprised that Lee, the one person who seemed to know about every change in Gai's attitude, hadn't picked up on the things that Daisuke found so obvious.

Gai looked back to Daisuke, shamefaced. "Everything you've just said, has been completely correct. I assure you it was under the Hokage's direct orders that I did so, but I still feel guilty for not having mentioned anything to you. As punishment to myself, I'll run five hundred laps around Konoha on my hands with added weights!"

"There's no need for something so drastic. At least not for what you've done to me. The real guilt you should be feeling is towards your own team, your students. You didn't even so much as give them the smallest of hints that such was your intention. If you're going to punish yourself, do it for the right reasons."

Lee and Tenten stood in shock. The fact that a Genin stood up to a Jonin was one thing. The fact that the Jonin that had been spoken against was as strong as Gai was another thing. But what really threw them off was how he continued pointing things out even though he had to know by now that he had made his point. Lee broke the silence left by Daisuke's words. "Daisuke, though I understand how hurtful it can be to have nobody who will place their trust in you, you must understand that Gai-sensei was only following orders. Have you thought that maybe his orders included not to tell us until we had reached a certain point in our mission? We have four days to complete this mission, so much of it will be spent traveling. Maybe he had planned to wait until we stopped to rest, or..."

Daisuke stopped Lee with a motion of his hand. Gai stepped up to Lee and looked him straight in the eye. "Lee! How youthful it is for you to stand up for your sensei!" They hugged each other tightly. Gai took the opportunity to whisper in Lee's ear. "Lee, this has been an act. Daisuke spotted a group of five following us a while back. He found an excuse to force us to stop. I spotted them once we had stopped. That boy knows what he's doing, you've got to trust him. Just stay out of our argument. The enemy will engage us soon enough."

Sure enough, not ten seconds further into their argument, four shinobi leapt from the trees from different directions, each one with a kunai ready and focused on one of the four members of Team Gai. Lee and Gai were ready for them, and Daisuke had pointed them out just as they leapt, so Tenten had enough time to react. She had thrown a kunai, which landed into her attacker's chest. Gai and Lee leapt straight at their own attackers and in a few swift kicks, had brought them down. Daisuke had no intention of revealing his capabilities in front of the fifth member he knew was still hiding in the trees, watching.

His attacker's original strike had been easily sidestepped, and each attack afterwards was avoided easily as well. With every one of the attack being dodged so easily, the attack got angrier, and his anger caused him to make mistakes. Or, actually, make one mistake. His first mistake was enough. Daisuke was inside his defenses, then holding him up by his neck, then pinning him to a tree.

Daisuke threw questions at the man, for no purpose other than to confuse the man. A bombardment of never ending questions screamed in his face while he was pinned to a tree with a hand around his neck was enough to drive the man temporarily insane. Then Daisuke was quiet for a moment. He spoke in a quiet voice, but only one question. "Why are you here?"

The man couldn't take any more, and his mind was reeling from the earlier interrogation. Before he had the chance to think, he had blurted out his own mission. He was an assassin, as were the other four members of his group. Three were dead, the last had fled a while ago. Daisuke pulled him away from the tree and hit him on the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious.

Daisuke had switched from one personality to another to a third in such a short period of time, that Tenten hardly knew what to think. "Two days, I've known you, yet I've seen four different versions of you already. Which one is the real you? I liked the first you the best, but how can I know, how can any of us know, that you won't switch to one of these other versions of yourself? How can i be sure of anything about you?"

Daisuke's face was back to it's usual look of kind indifference. "Tenten, you're going to need to calm down, I've spent time on an interrogations squad. I knew what I had to do to get the information I needed."

"But what about how you treated Gai-sensei? You were..."

Daisuke interrupted her one more time that day. "Acting. I was acting. Gai knew it, so there was no harm done. The two of us noticed our followers a while ago, and I found the fastest way to bring them out. Make it look like we're an unstable group that doesn't work well together."

Gai, who was back to acting like his normal, eccentric self, rejoined the conversation. All the previous hostility between himself and Daisuke forgotten as though it had never happened, and Gai had his arm around Daisuke's shoulders. "That's right. And never before have I witnessed such a fine talent for acting as I have just seen in this boy. Tenten, he may be a new arrival to our group, but you still have to put a little bit of trust in him. I'd say that if nothing else, by now, he's earned that much."

Daisuke decided to put a stop to the conversation before they got to involved in it and delayed their mission. "Gai, you know I didn't mean much of what I said, and I'm sure you do know that some of what I said wasn't acting. I'm still not comfortable with you watching my every move, waiting for a betrayal or something of the sort."

Gai was partially unwilling to respond, his options were to lie, or to confirm Daisuke's words. Not a very promising situation. After a moment, he had decided to tell the truth. "That... is true. I'm apologize for mistrusting you. As punishment I'll..."

"Gai-sensei, you don't need to do any such thing. He's a shinobi, and so are you. You don't know him, so it was right for you to be cautious. I don't mean to devalue your apology, but you don't need to do anything rash."

"Tenten, nothing is too rash when it comes to upholding one's own youthful ways. I'm sure I can come up with something to make up for my mistake."

The uncharacteristically quiet Lee took his opportunity to speak up. "Gai-sensei! Even when it comes to apologies, you find ways to display your youth!"

"Lee! It is not only I who has displayed youth, all three of you have showed your true colors in the past few minutes alone. Youth is abundant amongst this team!"

The conversation between Gai and Lee would have continued for some time, had Tenten and Daisuke not intervened with a reminder that the four of them had a mission to complete, and a deadline to complete it by. Team Gai leapt away, after quickly deciding to triple their speed again, to make up for lost time. Gai and Lee were still shouting their conversation as they moved, Tenten and Daisuke tried their best to both keep up and not become involved in the conversation.

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A team of two Jonin were making one of their many daily patrols when they heard soft noises coming from some bushes. As they approached, the noises were recognized as the quiet sounds a dying man makes. In the bushes lay a semiconscious ninja, and one of their own village. Numerous wounds covered his body, and his breathing was labored.

One Jonin started to lift the semiconscious ninja while giving orders to the other Jonin. "We need to get him to the hospital, and fast! He won't hold out long without medical attention. Go ahead, send for help, I'll bring him back to Konoha as quickly as I can! Go! There might not be much time left!"

Upon arrival, the Jonin carrying the shinobi was met by three people. The first was his partner. The other two had come from the hospital with emergency supplies so they could get some of the smaller, but still necessary things out of the way before arriving at the hospital.

A room was ready for them, and a nurse was already it, just finishing preparations for the room's newest patient.

The Jonin that had carried the shinobi set him down on the waiting bed then collapsed into a nearby chair himself, exhausted. He had almost fallen asleep before he heard the nurse ask him something. He snapped back to attention. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"We're going to have to ask you to leave the room during the operation."

"He needs an operation? How bad is he?"

The nurse turned to her patient. "Three broken ribs, minor internal bleeding, and numerous gashes and cuts."

The Jonin turned to leave. Just as he was about to leave the room, the nurse caught him again. "You wouldn't happen to know his name, would you?"

"I don't know, until now, I haven't really had a chance to look at him." The Jonin turned to look at the ninja on the bed. "But there's something familiar about his face and hairstyle. His clothing is torn up, but it almost looks like... what's it called... spandex. Now that I think about it, he reminds me of that odd Jonin, Gai." The Jonin's face blanched in horror of what he had just realized. "So that would make him Rock Lee. Excuse me, I have to go report to the Hokage. I could've sworn I saw Lee go off on a mission earlier today with his team."


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 5

The Hokage's office, often there is a shinobi present for a mission briefing or to report on a completed mission. If there wasn't, somebody was there requesting something from the Hokage, or suggesting something.

But now, just after a meeting with one of the Hyuuga clan's main house members, it was only the Hokage and his assistant in the office, completing paperwork. It was unusually quiet, but the two people were enjoying their moment without interruptions. Even the meeting hadn't been very bad news. Two shinobi would be confined to bed rest for a few days, nothing serious, just exhaustion. Even if one of the shinobi was one of their best Genin, and the other qualified as at least a B-Rank ninja, probably even A-Rank. Both would be back in top shape soon enough, and meanwhile, he had a ready replacement for the one who was supposed to go on a mission. Things worked out nicely sometimes, and the Hokage wasn't about to complain when things went well.

But all good things must end. And the moment of respite came to an abrupt halt as a Jonin burst through the door, looking exhausted. "Hokage-sama, I fear we have a major problem."

"I knew it was too good to last..." The Hokage mumbled to himself. "Alright, take a seat, and give me the full explanation."

The Jonin quickly took to offered seat, and took a few moments to rest and take a few deep breaths. "My partner and I found a body while on patrol, and it wore a headband of our village. We brought it to the hospital, and I identified it there. Hokage-sama, do you recall sending Team Gai on a mission earlier today?"

"I do, yes."

"Well... The body was identified as Rock Lee. And Team Gai was not nearby."

"So that must mean Team Gai does not know Lee was injured, or else at least one of them would have brought Lee back personally."

"That's not the whole problem, though. I saw Lee go off with the rest of his team about two hours before we found his body. They would know by now if he was not with them. The problem is that there is probably a second Lee with Team Gai right now."

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Neji woke around noon, and tried to get out of bed, momentarily forgetting just how exhausted his body was. Nonetheless, after a little while, he managed to work his way out of bed and get dressed. Determined, Neji continued to exit his room and make his way down the hallway, stumbling occasionally as his tired legs nearly gave out underneath him. Another branch family member spotted him as he turned a corner.

"Neji, you shouldn't be moving yet, they said you should be in bed for at least two days."

Neji gave a grunt to brush off the person, hoping not to have to argue to get his point across. He wasn't going back to bed, staying in bed would cause him to miss training, and if he missed training one day, it would start a chain reaction, and soon enough, he would be missing training far too often, and his skills would decline.

He turned a corner.

But he remembered he was supposed to train with that new girl, Yuuna. He altered his course, and he was going to go find Yuuna, to see if she was in a condition to be training yet.

He turned another corner.

He knew the layout of the house, but he didn't know which room Hiashi had decided to have Yuuna stay in. If he stopped to ask anybody, they'd lecture him on how he should still be in bed. He didn't have many options at this point in time.

He turned a third corner,

And collided with Yuuna just as she was leaving a room. Neji stumbled, but Yuuna fell to the ground, still not having gotten used to the tiredness her body felt at the moment. Neji moved to help her up, as best he could in his somewhat tired state. "We're supposed to train together, and I intend to train every day. Are you in any condition to train right now?"

"Now? I'm nowhere near ready, I just couldn't take any more bed rest. You must be insane to think you're in a condition to train." But seeing Neji's determination, she amended her statement. "I suppose that you're going anyways, regardless of what I say. I'll go along to make sure you don't do something stupid like overwork yourself."

"Hn."

"That's it? I show the smallest hint of care about you, and that's all I get?"

"Hn."

"You either have nothing to say, or just don't care what I say. Which is it."

"More of the second. I have to train with you, but that doesn't mean I have to like you."

"But wouldn't it be easier to deal with me if you did like me?"

"Slightly."

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"Wait, slow down a bit, I'm still confused."

"It's not that hard to understand, Tenten, I've been away for a years honing my skills, of course I've picked up a few things."

"But how did you know?"

"I've got eyes in the sky, so I see a lot."

"But that's always been something between Neji and I, no one else has been able to pick up on it yet."

"I learn quickly. Would you please drop it?"

"Not until you explain yourself. You keep giving me vague answers. I want the honest truth, and give me a straight answer."

"The straightest honest answer I can give doesn't come in words."

Tenten stopped on a tree branch, and Daisuke stopped nearby. Soon after both Gai and Lee had stopped as well.

Gai, impatient to keep moving was the first to speak. "Why did the two of you stop? We have somewhere to be."

Tenten glared at Daisuke as she answered. "I'm not moving until he gives me a straight answer."

Daisuke sighed and motioned for Gai and Lee to continue on. "I have something to explain to Tenten, and I don't want to keep you waiting. Don't worry, we'll catch up."

"But if we separate, the chances we'll be attacked increase..."

"You're a very powerful Jonin, and you have a powerful student. Anyone stupid enough to take the two of you on is either very arrogant, or very stupid. As for the two of us, I'm sure I can keep both of us safe from harm if it comes down to it, though I'm sure Tenten can put up quite a fight before it becomes necessary."

Gai sighed. "This is not very youthful, Daisuke. But I'll trust your judgment. Don't make me regret it."

Daisuke watched as Gai and Lee leaped off further into the trees. When he felt he had given them enough time to get a good distance away, he turned to Tenten. "You want a straight answer? Fine. We don't have time to waste on this sort of thing, and I shouldn't have to waste this much energy to get you to comply with what you know you should be doing."

Daisuke pulled a scroll from his pack. He unrolled it, and looked pointedly at Tenten. "Do I really have to prove this to you?" An answering nod from Tenten was the only answer he needed.

He sighed, then bit his thumb, making it bleed. He ran his thumb along the scroll to make a smear of blood to finish the seal. "**Summoning Technique: Wandering Eyes**." A plume of smoke erupted from the seal, and as it cleared, hundred of tiny insects were revealed. Daisuke motioned with his hand, and sent most of them flying after Gai and Lee so he could locate them. He kept two or three behind, to make sure Tenten believed him. "This is it. I can see what they see, and vice versa. I can prove it, if you want me to."

"No, it's alright... I don't really like knowing that you could be spying on anybody at any point in time, but I suppose I'll have to deal with it... Alright. Let's go catch up with Gai-sensei." Tenten leaped off into the trees in the general direction Gai and Lee had gone, but Daisuke did not. Tenten soon came back. "Well? Aren't you coming?"

"You know how quickly they move better than I do, and you expect us to be able to catch up to them on foot?"

"Then how can we catch them?"

"From the air."

Daisuke rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a summoning seal. "I use this one often, so I keep it in a convenient place. I certainly can't lose it." He bit the thumb he hadn't previously bit, and smeared the blood along his arm. "**Summoning Technique: Winged Ascent**." A plume of smoke. In a moment, the smoke cleared, revealing Daisuke standing atop a very large falcon. He helped Tenten onto its back, and it took off.

Tenten held onto Daisuke, slightly worried, after all they were traveling very quickly, and they weren't exactly close to the ground. She was blushing as she did so, but wasn't about to let go. "Do you know where we're going?" She shouted loud enough for him to hear over the roar of the wind.

"Of course. Why do you think I summoned those bugs? I wouldn't summon them if I wasn't planning on them serving a purpose. I don't do pointless things. Which is why I'm trying to get to know you. I don't like working on a team where I don't know my teammates."

"Was that supposed to be a compliment, or not?"

"Depends, did you take it as one?"

"Kind of."

"Then yes, it was meant to be a compliment."

Tenten's blush got a bit deeper. She was holding onto somebody who she had only met two days ago and still somewhat considered him her idol, and he was openly complimenting her. She was glad he had to pay attention to where he was and where his bugs showed Gai and Lee were, otherwise, he'd probably see her blushing, and things would only get worse from there.

Tenten was about to speak when Daisuke pointed towards the ground a few hundred meters ahead of them. "That's where we'll meet up with them. They're still moving, so we'll land a distance ahead of them, then they'll meet us."

"That almost seems like a prank. Leaving after them, but arriving before them."

"We could play it up a bit, and make it a prank. I think Gai would find it humorous, though I'm not sure about Lee."

"Lee would definitely find it funny. You must not know Lee very well if you don't know that."

"But Lee hasn't acted like someone who'd find that sort of thing funny. He seems like he'd shrug it off and scowl for having to delay until we're ready to go."

"Lee _has_ been acting differently recently..."

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Yuuna lay face up on the grass in the shade of a tree, her head turned towards Neji as he worked at improving his his Gentle Fist. They were at the training ground nearest to the Hyuuga compound. It was small, but with only one of them active, it was enough.

"Neji, why are you so intent on training?"

"If I don't train, I don't improve."

"So you train one aspect of yourself and forsake all others?"

"What?"

"You train your body, but forsake your mind and heart. We both know you train your body to an extent few people can, but I've never seen you do much else. Nobody sees you studying, or working towards something academically. You rarely spend time with your friends, that is, if you have anyone you can call a friend."

"I spend plenty of time with my friends, just ask Tenten."

"I don't know about that. I'm pretty sure Tenten's not altogether pleased with the way the relationship between the two of you is working out."

"That's none of your business."

"So you knew that already?"

A long moment of near silence followed. The only sounds defying the lingering silence were the sounds of Neji's Gentle Fist attacking a dummy, the soft chirping of birds, and the rustle of wind amongst the leaves. Eventually, Neji stopped training and moved to the shade and sat near Yuuna, then spoke, albeit softly. "How did you figure it out?"

"I saw her with you once, and I saw her with my old teammate. You hardly did anything, hardly said anything, but she tried to make the relationship work. She always felt for you, but you never openly returned the feeling. Then she met Daisuke and..."

Neji interrupted her. "Wait, Daisuke? You know him?"

"Know him? He's practically a brother to me."

"Oh... But, what happened when she met Daisuke?"

"Well, they became friends almost instantly. Neither of them stopped smiling for very long, neither of them looked at all uncomfortable, I think Daisuke made a few jokes since Tenten laughed a few times. So, do you see what I mean? She's known you for years, and you're supposed to be dating, but you can't even manage to keep her interested in your conversation for very long, yet a guy she meets for the first time can hold her attention for hours and keep her entertained the whole time. It wasn't hard to make a judgment from there."

Neji looked as though he was about to say something, but instead he rose and walked back to the dummy.

"Neji?"

"What is it now?"

"You did know, didn't you?"

Neji turned around, and found Yuuna standing directly behind him, her concern shown clearly in her eyes."I do now."


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 6

"It's not that hard to understand. Neither of us is a genjutsu, neither of us was a genjutsu the last time you saw us, you have been getting farther from where you saw us last, and you aren't dreaming. Daisuke told you he would help out if anyone fell behind, and he did just that."

"And just because I don't want to reveal my methods just yet doesn't mean we're lying to you. If not me, you should at least trust Tenten."

"It's not that I don't trust the two of you, it's not youthful to not trust those who are close to you. I just wish to know how you moved so far so quickly so that I might use it myself and teach it to students I have now and will have some time in the future."

Daisuke sighed as he looked off into the trees as if there was something interesting he could see. "It's not that I don't want you to know, it's that even if I told you, you'd probably be unable to do it. Hatori is very proud, and probably wouldn't like you. No offense intended, I'm just speaking my honest opinion."

Tenten, Gai, and Lee all looked at him in confusion and spoke at the same time. "Hatori?"

"Tenten, I thought you'd remember him. I understand Gai and Lee being confused, they haven't met him. He just lent us a hand, and you forgot him already?"

"You mean the bird had a name?"

"Yes, and he'd probably wish to harm you if he ever heard you insulting him like that. He doesn't like being called a 'bird', nor does he like it when people don't acknowledge him of sentience. Call him a falcon and you'll get along with him just fine."

A look of recognition flashed across Gai's face, as though he had just had a major realization. "That's how you two did it! The path one with flight takes is shorter than that of a land-based traveler such as myself. And a falcon is one of the fastest birds, so it stands to reason that you two got here before us. Daisuke, your decision to increase the speed of travel was a youthful one indeed! Might Hatori be willing to take all four of us to our destination? It would certainly save us time and..."

A fifth voice joined the conversation, this one deep and regal, yet light and airy. "That would depend on the location of your destination and what you have to offer." Gai's entire team realized the voice came from the treetops, and leapt up the branches of the trees to find who the voice belonged to.

Daisuke was the first up the tree. "Hatori, I thought you had left. What keeps you here?"

"Judging by what I had heard from your conversation with the girl, I knew you would ask for my help once more. For you, I'd take you without question. I trust the girl as well, since you seem to have put much trust in her. These other two, I don't trust quite so much. Especially not the younger one."

A surprised look came to Daisuke's face, and he stared at Hatori with wide eyes. He calmed himself down for one last statement as he climbed onto Hatori's back. "Gai, Tenten, Lee, wait here for a moment, Hatori and I have something to discuss."

Hatori took off at an astounding speed, and landed again a few hundred meters away. "What is it, Daisuke?"

"You said you don't trust the younger of my other two teammates, why is that?"

"It was a feeling I got when I first saw him."

"Explain it, if you would, I'd like to know what you think."

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"What was that all about?"

"I have no idea, Gai-sensei."

"Why doesn't Hatori trust either of us?"

"Again, I have no idea."

"They're coming back though, I can sense Daisuke's chakra approaching. That was a fast talk."

Tenten and Gai turned in time to see Daisuke and Hatori land on the trees.

Tenten's curiosity getting the better of her, she rushed over to Daisuke while he got off Hatori's back.

"What was that all about? Were you talking about me?"

Daisuke knew she was kidding, and smiled. He saw Gai and Lee approach soon afterwards. Jokingly, he replied, "Well, of course. You're the only girl in my life right now. Who else would I talk about?"

"I figured you wouldn't have made Gai-sensei and Lee stay behind if you didn't talk about them too." Then, she became serious. "What did you two talk about?"

Avoiding the question with striking grace, Daisuke replied, "Hatori is willing to carry the four of us to our destination. Which, I might add, I still don't know."

Gai stepped forward slightly. "I'll have to tell Hatori for him to take us there, so now is the best time to tell the rest of you. Deep within the Lightning country, there is a village that had escaped the notice of the Leaf village for some time. We're to find this village and discover if it is a threat. We would normally do this with multiple teams consisting mainly of Jonin level ninja, but we could not do so without catching the attention of nearby villages."

Hatori looked to Daisuke. Daisuke nodded and Hatori spread his wings, ready to fly. "Alright. Then we'll be off shortly, everybody, get on, and try not to fall off."

Daisuke was the first onto Hatori's back, and he lent Tenten a hand as Gai and Lee found their own way up.

As soon as the whole team was ready, Hatori took off. The initial takeoff happened so quickly, it almost knocked most of the team off Hatori's back.

Gai was helping Hatori navigate, as Gai knew where they were headed, and Hatori only knew a general location. Daisuke could've sworn he heard Gai find a way to work the word 'youthful' into the conversation multiple times. Lee and Tenten were watching the ground go by. Daisuke was watching Lee carefully, but trying to make himself look lost in thought. He knew he succeeded when Tenten waved a hand in front of his eyes. "You've got to see this. We're almost over the biggest body of water I've ever seen. Maybe it's an ocean or..."

"It's just a bay. Oceans are much larger. Once we get to the other side of this bay, we'll officially be in the Lightning country."

Daisuke's statement was followed by a silence.

Eventually, Gai pointed in one direction. "The village we're looking for is in that direction. I expect we'll look like no more than any other bird from this height, so we'll have a good cover. Once we've seen the village, we'll land nearby, and work our way in. Hatori, I'm very sorry, but there really is no place for a speaking bird in any group that hopes to avoid attention. We'll all have to take off our hitai-ite before we land, we'll be incredibly suspicious if we're bearing Konoha's mark. Daisuke, upon arriving at the village, you are to create some sort of diversion, so Lee and myself will be able to get in unhindered. Make it a diversion that you can use to get in as well. Once you're in, Tenten will approach the gates, claiming to be meeting a friend. Daisuke, you'll see her, and wave. The guards will think that you're the friend she was meeting, and will let her pass. The two of you will walk away chatting happily. Lee and myself will meet up with you afterwards."

Daisuke thought about Gai's plan for a moment before making his opinion known. "Or, we could just remove our hitai-ite, and disguise ourselves as a family. The gate guards would ask us a few questions and we'd get in guaranteed."

"I like the simplicity of it. The your youthfulness has once again showed itself, Daisuke. The plan is brilliant."

Tenten motioned to Daisuke and Lee. "Does that mean I have to be their sister? I like them well enough as friends, but I don't think I'd be comfortable with them as brothers."

"It's either that, or Gai's second wife." Daisuke stated in an offhand manner.

"Sister it is. But why would I be his _second_ wife?"

"You're younger than him by quite a bit. Even with a disguise, we can't mask that. We could say he remarried after his first wife passed away."

"Alright, so if I'm your sister, how can you explain why we were born within a year of each other?"

"We could explain that by saying I was adopted, we could say we're twins, or I could make myself look a little older and you could make yourself look younger."

"And Lee?"

"He's already a year younger. If anyone says he looks my age, I'll act indignant and take it as an insult that they would suggest that he's my age."

"One last problem. How are we going to disguise ourselves if we aren't going to use jutsu, but we don't have anything to change into?"

"We're going to be a family of eccentrics. We train everyday with Gai. Gai, Lee, you two don't really need to lie, since you actually do. Tenten and I will act as though we do. We'll be arriving from a long run, and we'll only be going into town for a rest, then we'll be moving again. That's our story. I'm seventeen, Lee, you're sixteen, Tenten, you're fifteen, and Gai, you can be in your upper thirties. Tenten, pick out a name for each of us."

"Hai. Give me a minute."

Daisuke turned to Gai. "As much as I don't want to say this, you do carry spare outfits, correct?"

Gai thought for a moment, then held out a few versions of the outfit he was wearing. Most were smaller than him, and were meant for his pupils. "I have a few spares of the standard training outfit Lee and I wear. Otherwise, no."

"Perfect. Matching outfits for an entire family. We'll really look like a bunch of oddballs."

Tenten looked at Daisuke, shocked that he would even consider that she would wear that outfit. "There's no way I'm wearing that. I'll stay behind, I'll infiltrate the village on my own, I don't care. I'm not wearing that."

Daisuke moved closer to Tenten and whispered something in her ear. She blushed, and quickly walked to Gai and took one of the outfits, then walked off into the trees. Daisuke laughed once she was no longer in sight.

Gai was thoroughly confused. "What did you say to her? I've tried multiple times to get her to try one on, but nothing has ever worked before."

"It doesn't really matter." Daisuke took an outfit from Gai. "I'll be right back." He headed off into the trees, the opposite direction from Tenten.

Some time later, Tenten returned, dressed in an outfit resembling Gai's. It was tailored specifically for her, since Gai had tried nearly everything to get her to try one. He had one made for Neji, too, but Neji was even more stubborn then Tenten.

Daisuke came back moments after Tenten. He was dressed in a spandex outfit as well. Tenten openly stared at him. He was well built, but the clothes he usually wore were baggy and hid it.

Gai couldn't help but remark on their appearances. "The both of you are looking so much more youthful! Do you now see why it is the favorite of both Lee and myself?"

Daisuke was stuffing his previous clothing into his backpack. He took off his hitai-ite and pushed it down below everything else in his backpack. The rest of his team did likewise. "Alright. That's out of the way. Tenten, what names have you come up with?"

"Why can't we keep our own?"

"Tenten, your name is an unusual one in our village, it will never go unnoticed in this one. Lee's name is too out of the ordinary as well. Gai can't keep his, or else someone might recognize him as one of Konoha's Jonin. And I have quite a reputation myself, so I can't very well keep using a name that is famous."

"Oh... Alright. Lee, you're name will be Kouki. Gai-sensei, you're name will be Masaru. My name will be Yuzuki. And Daisuke, you'll be Yuuto."

Gai was ready to leave, and after checking to make sure his three students were ready as well, he turned to leap off into the trees. Before he did, Daisuke stopped him. "We're not supposed to be shinobi. From here, we have to run, or we'll blow our cover before we start."

"I had forgotten that for a moment. Kouki, Yuzuki, Yuuto, let's move on."

After nearly half an hour, the four had arrived at the gates of the village.

The four ran to the guards and paused, looking as though they were rushed and hoping to get in as soon as possible.

A guard approached and eyed them strangely. "You're not dressed in any style I've seen around here. Where are you from?"

Daisuke was quick to speak up. "If we were here for a social visit, we might have dressed differently. As it is, we're on a run, and we're stopping through here for a small rest. Then we'll be on our way."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Gai put a hand on Daisuke's shoulder and chuckled a bit. "Pardon my boy for getting ahead of himself. We're from Kumogakure."

"Your names?"

Gai pointed to Tenten and said, "This is my youngest, Yuzuki," He pointed to Lee, "This is Kouki, the middle child," Then he pointed to Daisuke, "And this is Yuuto, my eldest. And I'm Masaru."


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 7

Gai pointed off to his left. "Yuuto, take your sister and look for somewhere to rest that way." He then pointed to his right. "Kouki and I will search this way."

"Hai. Come on, Yuzuki."

Daisuke and Tenten ran off in the direction Gai had pointed. Soon, they found it difficult to gather any information under their disguises. Since they were supposedly looking for a place to rest, they couldn't very easily ask many questions about the village. They heard little bits of information as they passed a pair of Jonin. Nothing that was enough information to attract any major attention from Konoha, however.

"Umm... Yuuto? Shouldn't we go meet up with Masaru and Kouki now? Maybe they've found something."

"I suppose we're going to have to. We've found nothing..."

"Alright, let's go."

"Do you remember where we were supposed to meet them? I kind of forgot..."

Tenten grabbed him by his wrist and pulled him along behind her. "Of course I remember. I knew you wouldn't, so I had to be the one who did."

"Don't you just have the utmost faith in me..." Daisuke said, his voice laden with sarcasm.

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"Hey, Neji?"

"What is it now?"

"You're in good condition now, shouldn't you be going on missions again, instead of remaining here to train with me?"

"My team's out on a mission right now, so I'm stuck here."

"It can't take long for them to get back, they're only a three man squad. They can't take the more difficult missions."

"They're a four man squad at the moment, actually."

Yuuna smiled a little. When the two of them had first met, she had to pry to get him to say anything. Now, they were comfortable enough around each other that he would freely volunteer information. She was glad she didn't have to work too hard to keep a nice conversation going. "But it's only Gai, Lee, and Tenten, that's three." 

"There's a temporary substitute in my place. I thought you knew."

"Why would I know that?"

"He's your friend, right? I thought friends told each other things like that."

"Who are you talking about?"

"You honestly don't know, do you? It's Daisuke. Who else in this village do you really consider a friend right now?"

"Well... There's you, but clearly you're not on a mission. I guess I just haven't seen him in a while."

"Sometimes, I could swear you are the single most oblivious person on the face of the earth."

"But not all the time?"

"Sometimes, you're oblivious. Sometimes, you're quiet. Other times..."

Yuuna interrupted him. "You'd better not be thinking of insulting me."

"Actually, I was about to compliment you, but if you're going to interrupt, I think I'll just forget what I was going to say."

"You've never complimented anybody before. What makes you think I'd think you'd start now?"

"I've never really bothered to get to know anybody before. You first meet somebody, you see their flaws, the glaring imperfections, the tiny habits in everything they say and do. After a while, you start to see the real person, the big picture, and you realize both that the person is not flawed and that there are also amazing little things about everybody."

"What are some of the 'amazing little things' about me?"

"Hn."

"They must be good. Not only will you not tell me, but you haven't been training for a while. You look silly, standing in front of that dummy with your hands raised."

"You want to know what I think?"

"Of course. To who but me does the stoic Neji Hyuuga reveal his innermost thoughts to?"

Ignoring the latter part of her comment, Neji turned to face her. "I think we should quit this simple training against dummies and get on with something that'll actually help the both of us."

"I suppose you have an idea?"

"I've got more than an idea, I'm challenging you to a sparring match."

Yuuna stood up and dusted herself off. "You're on."

"You beat me once, but don't expect the same outcome this time."

"You're confident for a guy who got beat not two weeks ago. What say you we make this more than just a simple sparring match?"

"Changing the conditions of a traditional match?"

"Nothing quite so drastic. I was thinking something more along the lines of a bet."

"Oh, so now you're bringing wagers into this?"

Yuuna nodded and smiled. "I already know what you're going to have to do when you lose."

"I'm not going to be the one who loses, though. Besides, I've already picked out your daily routine for the next week after you lose. Hope you like cleaning."

Yuuna laughed. "Chores? Is that the best you could come up with?"

"You're a main family member, you don't know half of the chores I do on a daily basis. Besides, it _will_ have to be you who does them."

"I'm quaking in my boots. Let's get this over with already. I can't wait to see the look on your face when you lose."

"And your wager is...?"

"I've always wanted to see how the public would react to you if you got a girlfriend. I suppose I'd let you pick, but if you take too long, I'd probably pick for you."

"Out of the question."

"Why? I thought you were going to win? Why not take the bet if you won't lose?"

Neji sighed. He didn't want to back down, but he didn't want to lose the bet either. Not with those stakes. He'd just have to win. "Fine."

Yuuna held out her hand, and Neji shook it, sealing the deal. Yuuna smiled slightly and said, "On the count of three, one," she paused slightly, shifting into her fighting stance.

"Two," Neji said as Yuuna did, shifting into his own fighting stance.

The last moment seemed to last longer than it did. Both activated their Byakugan at the same time. Both watched the other for any signs to hint at possible strategies to expect. Neither moved a muscle. The world seemed silent to them, until both simultaneously finished the count. "Three."

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"Did either of you find anything?"

"We didn't. Sorry..."

"We'd keep trying if we had time, but we may as well just move on. We've spent enough time here. Besides, we need to get home soon."

Gai and Lee were off, running at a speed most people would consider much more than a sprint, but was actually nowhere near as fast as either of them could go. Daisuke and Tenten, being more sensible, ran out at an average person's speed, conserving some energy, since they knew Gai and Lee would wait.

It was a quiet run until Daisuke spoke up. "Yuzuki, I may not be going home with the rest of you. I'm probably staying behind and looking around here for a while. It's a big village... I'll explain more when we meet up with those two again, but I just wanted you to have a bit more time to get used to the idea."

"But... why? It's not part of any obligations you have... You should come home with us..."

"I'm sorry, but I need to see this through."

Daisuke and Tenten met up with Gai and Lee about half a mile outside the village gates. Daisuke spoke up immediately. "You three will be proceeding homeward without me. I'm staying here and finishing what I started. I'm either returning to Konoha with information, or not at all. You three will be leaving without me, you will not stay behind to wait for me, you will not try to lend a hand, and you will not argue with me about the topic."

All three were shocked, though Tenten less so, having heard some of it before. Daisuke's bluntness was new to all of them, and he looked serious. Most people would just have to see the way he looked and wouldn't argue. But Gai had to watch out for Daisuke as long as Daisuke was part of his team. "Daisuke, I can't allow it. You don't want to argue, fine. There's no argument. You're not staying without backup. I'm obligated to keep you safe and..."

"It doesn't matter. Gai, if it came down to it, and you and I had to fight, one-on-one, who do you honestly believe would win?"

Gai's silence was enough of an answer for Daisuke. He walked off into the trees to change back into his usual clothes. He came back some time later to find Tenten missing. Gai caught his eye and told him they would be leaving soon, and Tenten was changing back into her normal outfit. Soon after, Gai and Lee leapt off into the trees.

Tenten found Daisuke preparing and would have left him alone had he not spoken up. As Daisuke approached her, his face softened from it's serious expression to the calmer, kinder one Tenten was used to. "Tenten, I told you already, I'll either return with information or not at all. And I don't intend to take long. Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself." Remembering the talk he had with Hatori, he added one last thing. "And keep an eye on Lee for me, will you?"

"Why should I do you any favors? You're abandoning us for your own desires. You probably never cared what happened to us in the first place. You..."

She was cut off midsentence as Daisuke put a finger to her lips. "It's true I probably don't deserve favors right now, and it's true I'm basically abandoning you, but do not assume I never cared. You blush practically every time we touch and Gai is more comfortable around me than he is around most other people. Just because I don't show that I care in the same ways as either of you doesn't mean I don't care. When I spoke with Hatori, he gave me a second viewpoint on everything. He saw the way I change around you, and the way you act around me. He's seen some of the things you've done and some of what I've done. He says we're going to end up a wonderful couple. I guess... this is a long-winded way of saying give me a chance. One chance, to prove myself by doing something you don't want me to do. I'm doing this for me, I know, but you'll be on my mind the whole time."

Tenten had nothing to say to that. She couldn't manage to meet Daisuke's eyes. She only managed to say one thing before leaping off into the trees. "One chance, that's it."

Daisuke entered the village without his hitai-ite, telling the gate guard he wished counsel with the Kage of the village. The gate guard sent a request, and returned to tell Daisuke the counsel had been granted. Daisuke went straight to the Kage's office. He walked right in, and immediately requested an alliance with the village.

The Kage, not knowing who Daisuke was, restrained a laugh. In his eyes, a man, not even a ninja, was seeking alliance between himself and an entire village. Daisuke rolled up his sleeve, revealing the summoning seal on his arm. The Kage ceased laughing, now recognizing Daisuke. The request for alliance was granted with hardly a thought. The Kage knew about Daisuke's travels, and that he had been unassociated with any village for a year. He knew how powerful Daisuke was. However, he did not know that Daisuke had returned to the Leaf village.

The Kage shook Daisuke's hand. "An alliance between this village and one of your amazing talent will be most profitable for the both of us. If you have any requests, merely ask, and you shall receive. You are an important part of this village already." The Kage set out a document and motioned for Daisuke to sign it.

"If I betray the village, I face it's full wrath? Not much of a penalty..."

"This document is what we use for almost all alliances. If you wish, I could have one made that is more specific to your case."

"That won't be necessary. I'll sign this one."

Daisuke signed the document. "I'll return later, but for now, farewell. I have one last thing to do."

"I'll have your first mission for you when you return."

"Good." Daisuke exited the office. Now, he'd have full access to information about the village's forces and an excuse to access them. It felt good for a plan to run smoothly for once.

Daisuke walked to the archives he had seen when he was with Tenten earlier. He had complete access to everything about the village's ninja kept on record. "I wonder how many ANBU this village has... And how many Jonin. I'd hate to have just allied with a weak village."

After a few hours of reading through the village's reports and records, Daisuke was satisfied. To finish his plan, he just needed to get the Kage angry with him. Wouldn't be hard. They had a meeting anyway.

Daisuke went straight to the Kage's office, and walked right in without knocking on the door first. He found the Kage in the middle of a meeting with two people. The Kage's secretary told him the Kage was in a meeting with ambassadors. Good. Daisuke could mess this up easily, and it'd probably get the Kage mad.

"Ah, Daisuke, glad you could join us. Daisuke, these are the ambassadors from the Hidden Rain village. I'd introduce Daisuke to the two of you, but you already know him. Or maybe you've only heard of him. I suppose you'd know him by a different name than the rumors around this village call him."

"Then what is he doing here? If he is such a threat, isn't he..."

The Kage cut the ambassador off. "He is this village's newest ally."

The ambassadors whispered to each other for a moment. "There is no more to consider. I am sure an alliance between our village can be formed." Both ambassadors left quickly, as if in a rush to tell their own Kage what had happened.

"Daisuke, you showed up at the perfect time. I didn't quite know how to win them over, but once you showed up, I'm sure there isn't a doubt in their minds that alliance is the best choice."

"You really don't know much about the Hidden Rain village, do you? They're not going to ally with you under any circumstances that impede their desires. If any part of the alliance is against them, they'll never do it. You are possibly the most idiotic Kage I've ever met."

"You are in my village, I will not have you insulting me like that."

"What are you going to do about it? You know who I am. I can break the alliance and kill you, then get out of here before anyone knows what happened. You're a pompous buffoon if you think you've got anything on me."

"One more insult an you will no longer be welcome in this village. I will personally..."

Daisuke cut him off. "Personally what? Call in backup so you have even the slightest chance of survival? Run away? You picked a bad person to threaten, and you'll regret it." Daisuke stormed out of the office and headed straight for the village gates.

The last part of Daisuke's plan was to go out with a bang.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 8

Daisuke came to a point just outside the village where he could see without being seen and turned to face the village. He took the largest scroll he was carrying and set it on the ground. "For Konoha, I will accomplish this final task." He unrolled the scroll. "**Summoning Style: Serpentine Grace: Six Serpents Rising**."

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Gai, Lee and Tenten had been moving for a few hours already, but they weren't even close to the border of the lightning country yet. After having ridden on Hatori, their own method of travel seemed incredibly slow.

Tenten was tiring, without Neji to agree with her the group had kept moving. Gai and Lee were used to physical exertion. Unfortunately, Tenten could not say the same was true for her. "Gai-sensei, can we take a break now? I've never gone this fast for very long, and we've been at it for hours. I don't think I can keep it up for much longer."

"Tenten, maybe it is a good thing you have this chance to express your youth. You've never truly pushed yourself before, and now you can see what you can do if you try. Before today, if I had asked you if you could go this long as we have, would you have said you could? If you hadn't had this chance would you..."

Gai stopped and halted the group, thinking he had heard something coming from the direction of the village. He looked back, Tenten and Lee's gazes followed, and saw six enormous serpents rising to the sky near the village.

Watching the six serpents fly through the air, twisting and curving amongst each other was somewhat like watching an elegant dance. Until the six serpents turned abruptly towards the village to wreak their destruction.

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"Hey, Neji, isn't your team supposed to return soon?"

"What does that have to do with our training?"

"Well... I heard a rumor that Lee turned up a few days ago, and that he's in the hospital. But he's supposed to be in the Lightning country now, isn't he?"

Neji was taken aback. He had heard no such rumor, but Yuuna was not one to make up such things. "Let's go find out if that is true."

Neji and Yuuna ran to the hospital as quickly as they could. They took to the rooftops as soon as they could so they wouldn't have to avoid other people. They arrived at the hospital within minutes of their departure.

Neji went up to the front desk. "I've recently heard one of my teammates is here, and I'd like to see him. What room is Lee in?"

The woman behind the front desk pointed Neji down one of the hallways. "Turn right at the first turn, his room is the fifth door on your left."

Neji was off, half jogging, half walking, to Lee's room. Yuuna barely had time to thank the woman before catching up with Neji.

They found Lee's room easily enough. Neji knocked, but didn't wait for an answer before opening the door. They found Lee laying on the bed staring out the window.

"Lee, aren't you supposed to be on a mission?"

"Neji! I did not know you were coming for a visit today." Lee tried to sit up, but he didn't get far. "I apologize, I am too exhausted to move much right now." Finally, he saw Yuuna standing near the doorway. "And who is this beautiful young woman you have brought with you?"

"Oh, right. Lee, this is Yuuna. Yuuna, this is Lee. But you haven't answered my question. Aren't you supposed to be on a mission?"

Lee turned his head and went back to looking out the window again. All traces of his previous excitement faded from his face. "I... I am... But somewhere outside of the village, I was attacked."

"By who? And weren't you with Gai?"

"Sadly, I do not know who attacked me... I hardly even recall the fight. I had separated from Gai-sensei to gather my things. On my way back to the gates, something caught my eye outside the village walls. I knew I shouldn't go alone, but I did, and here I am now, paying for my poor choice." Lee's face brightened. "I have already determined my punishment to be one hundred laps around Konoha, and I will complete it as soon as I am released from this hospital."

Yuuna stepped forward, a worried look on her face. "I heard that you had left with Gai. But if you were... incapacitated at the time, who is with Gai now?"

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The first serpent to make contact with the village walls was the lightning serpent. The single blow to the wall destroyed a large section in a massive explosion and seemed to have no effect on the serpent.

The second, a serpent with a body of magma, flew through the opening created by the first and destroyed every building within nearly half a mile in a gigantic blast of flames.

Two of the other serpents, water and earth, flew straight for the most important places in the village, the homes of the ruling council members and the homes of any shinobi of rank Chunin or higher. Within seconds, much of the village lay in ruin. It was not until then that the primary defense of the village could react. Hundreds of ANBU and Jonin rank shinobi leapt into the fray, desperately searching for a way to stop the rampaging serpents.

Unfortunately for them, any weapon they used against the serpents was destroyed upon contact with their bodies. The same fate met any unfortunate shinobi who got in the way. Ninjutsu was dodged easily or shrugged off as if it were no more than a slight breeze. Genjutsu was ineffective against the unfeeling, unthinking energy that the serpents consisted of.

In only a matter of minutes, most of the village was reduced to rubble and craters. The bodies of the dead were littering the ground, but none were recognizable. The would be Kage of the village made an appearance. Valiantly fighting one-on-one with the magma serpent brought it to the ground, but it was at the cost of the Kage's own life. The serpent lay motionless, but the victory was short lived, as those who had seen it were soon killed by the ice serpent.

Daisuke walked back into the village unhindered due to the chaos caused by the serpents. All five of the remaining serpents ceased their attack to surround him. The remaining shinobi watched fearfully. They had heard Daisuke's reputation before.

Daisuke calmly pulled his hitai-ite from his backpack and put it on. "I am sure most, if not all of you know who I am. This battle was begun in the name of Konoha and now it ends in the name of Konoha." Daisuke stood calmly where he was. The serpents resumed their destruction. Many shinobi tried to attack Daisuke in hopes of ending the rampaging serpents, but each attacker was mercilessly killed by one of the five serpents. Most shinobi began to flee. They had no one to lead them into battle, no will to continue fighting, no chance of victory.

Daisuke stood alone in the presence of the serpents, now far beyond the point of reason, mad with power brought on by control of he serpents. The magma serpent rose to the skies once more to join the other five. Most of the village lay in ruin. Thousands upon thousands of corpses lay on the ground. The wall that had once surrounded the entire village was no more than a heap of rubble no taller than the average child. Nothing moved, save for the serpents. There was no wind. Nothing to blow the dust around. There was no life.

Daisuke's power craze faded when the entirety of the village was no more than a smoking heap of broken buildings littered with bodies. Daisuke walked into the trees and got quite a distance from the ruin before unsummoning the serpents. Each disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Realizing the extent of all he had done, Daisuke fell to his knees, with his head in his hands. "Forgive me for what I have done, Konoha. Forgive me, Hokage-sama. Gai, Lee, Tenten... please forgive me."

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Having watched the six serpents completely obliterate the village, Gai, Lee and Tenten stood in shock for a while, staring at the rubble that was once a village. Tenten turned to see how Gai reacted. "Gai-sensei... What was that?"

"I do not know, though I hope Daisuke was not caught in it. I would never forgive myself if he perished when I could have saved him."

"You and me both..."

For a long while, the team of three stood staring at the remains of the village. Finally, Gai turned away from the village. "Let's get moving, we're due back in Konoha in a few days, and us arriving late is not going to happen."

For three days, the three members of Team Gai ran through the trees. Other than the wind and the occasional animal noises, the trip was silent. They had all realized that they were not going to return to Konoha as a four man squad. Daisuke had not met up with them yet.

And that meant that he was not going to.

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"They're coming home tomorrow!"

"Who? What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly who I'm talking about, Neji."

Yuuna had never before come to a training session in the morning with such enthusiasm about anything. Neji sat down to think.

Eventually, Yuuna got tired of waiting. "You know, Gai, Tenten, and Daisuke? They're coming home tomorrow!"

"That's tomorrow? Then why are you so excited now? Shouldn't you wait until tomorrow to be excited?"

"What if they come home early? It happens often enough."

"Now you're just going off about possibilities. Let's get to training. Maybe that'll pass the time. Why are you so anxious about their arrival anyways? You hardly know Gai or Tenten..."

"No, but you know them. And that means I should meet them. As the saying goes, 'a friend of my friend'..."

"Actually, it's 'an enemy of my enemy'."

"Same concept. Now stop bursting my bubble."

"Fine. Ready?"

"Ready to beat you, yes."

"Intent to kill?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

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"Three days... Maybe it's time I get over it already. What's done is done, there's nothing I can do to change that. I should just go report to the Hokage..."

Daisuke rolled up his sleeve, the seal to summon Hatori ready. He bit his thumb and preformed the summoning. He watched Hatori land, and approached.

"Daisuke, it's been a while. It's not often you go for very long without summoning me for something or other. And you look like a complete mess. Tell me what happened."

"Just take me home... Back to Konoha." Daisuke tried to climb onto Hatori's back, but Hatori simply moved each time Daisuke attempted.

"Not until you start talking."

"I went overboard again."

"What happened with the rest of your team? That boy?"

"They left well before I began. And I did not confront him."

"Then get on. We need to catch up with them. I have discovered an important matter concerning the boy."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"You have heard of genjutsus that are used for disguise? And how it is possible to hide a genjutsu once it is in effect?"

"The boy is not who he should be?"

"Well said. Let's get moving. They have quite the headstart, don't they?"

"Move as the wind, Hatori. If you are correct, time is of the essence."

"I can be in Konoha by day's end if you have no aversion to particularly uncomfortable riding conditions."

"My comfort weighed against the lives of others is an interesting comparison. As quickly as you can get me there, Hatori. That's what matters."

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"There it is, Tenten, I told you we'd make it by nightfall."

"Gai-sensei, it's been dark for hours now. What exactly do you consider to be nightfall?"

"Regardless, we're home at last."

"It's kind of a bittersweet accomplishment without Daisuke here, though, isn't it?"

"It is, but on such a dangerous mission, to have only lost one of our team is still quite the accomplishment."

"I don't think I'll ever totally forgive myself for his death... He was so close. We could've turned around and helped him. We could've changed something."

"I'm not sure about that, Tenten. You saw those things. If they weren't his, there's no way he could've survived. If they _were_ his, well, you've heard of chakra exhaustion."

Tenten looked up to the sky. "Is there even a chance?"

"Most Jonin, myself included, could not handle it."

"So you're saying there's no way he's alive?"

"Well..."

Tenten pointed up into the sky. "Then what's Hatori doing here?"

Gai turned to look where Tenten was pointing. "What?"

Hatori swooped down low near where Team Gai was standing, giving Daisuke a chance to jump off. Hatori did not actually land, but rather flew off over Konoha.

As Daisuke approached, Tenten ran to him and hugged him. Gai, caught up in the moment, did the same. Eventually, they let go and gave Daisuke some space.

Daisuke watched the two of them for a moment before breaking into a smile. When he spoke, he wasn't paying attention to Gai or Tenten. "Hey, why don't you join us? It's like a reunion over here."

Lee walked over uncaringly.

Daisuke, still smiling, nudged him jokingly. "You're not into this much, are you?" without waiting for an answer, he continued. "Of course, why would you be? You've got that convenient genjutsu to hide all the things you don't want us to know about."

Gai looked as if he though Daisuke was insane. "Daisuke, I may never have told you this, but Lee is incapable of genjutsu. Or ninjutsu, or just about anything of the sort."

"I know. But I didn't say he was Lee, did I?"

"But this _is_ Lee. He's been with me practically every moment since we left Konoha."

"Sure he has. That's beside the point. Dispel the genjutsu already. Let's have a look at you." After a moment, Daisuke decided Lee wasn't going to do anything. "Fine. Be stubborn. I'll dispel it myself."

Before Daisuke could even make his first handsign, a cloud of smoke engulfed Lee. As the smoke dispersed, Gai and Tenten were shocked to discover that the person they had been traveling with for over a week was not who they had thought he was.


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 9

Neji and Yuuna had been sparring for almost two hours now. They had decided not to seal chakra points, but to still hit them. The match would have been over in minutes had they been sealing them. The intensity and length of the match wore down both Neji and Yuuna, but neither was going to give up. Between breaths, Yuuna managed to speak. "Hey... Neji?"

It was a while before Neji responded, similarly out of breath himself. "What?"

"Shouldn't we... be heading... back soon? It's... near midnight..."

"Is it? Alright... We'll call this... a draw..."

"You can call it... whatever you want to... I'm not... calling it anything... until we finish it tomorrow..."

Both stopped fighting at the same time and collapsed. Panting, both just lay on the grass, too tired to move yet.

After a few minutes, Neji had caught his breath and sat up. "Alright, let's get back. I'm sure Hiashi-sama won't want us staying out too much later."

"That's true... I'd forgotten about Hiashi until just now. But, since we're already really late, how about we stay here a bit longer until we're not exhausted?"

"I'm not exhausted and..."

Yuuna interrupted him. "Yes you are. I can tell by the way you're sitting. You're slouching and you're still taking deep breaths. Plus your speech is slower than usual."

"Fine, I'm tired. I admit it."

"So we're staying for a while?"

"Hn."

For another half hour, Neji and Yuuna lay on the grass, staring up at the stars. "Neji?"

"What is it now?"

"What do you see when you look up at night?"

"When I look up at night, I don't really see much. I'm usually thinking about something."

"And what are you thinking about right now?"

"Three things. How we should be getting back." Neji stood up and brushed himself off, then helped Yuuna to her feet.

"And?"

After a short walk in silence, Neji continued. "How I want you to be quiet and let me relax."

"That's mean, Neji. I thought you actually cared about me. Oh well." Yuuna responded jokingly.

They walked the rest of the way to the Hyuuga compound in silence.

Neji went with Yuuna to the door of her room. Before Yuuna wen in, she asked Neji one more question. "What's the third thing?"

Neji turned to leave. "Maybe I'll tell you some other time."

Yuuna was too tired to press the matter further. "You'd better tell me sooner or later."

Neji had not heard her last comment, as he was already too far away, headed back to his own room.

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Daisuke and the intruder stared at one another for some time. Gai and Tenten had no idea what was going on, and were silent, passive observers.

Eventually Daisuke spoke. "Aren't you dead?"

Hardly the greeting she was expecting, the intruder remained silent.

Daisuke continued his thought as if he hadn't expected an answer in the first place. "Yuuna said you were."

The intruder stared at Daisuke in silence. Every so often, she would shift a little, as if uncomfortable.

Tenten was about to say something when Daisuke spoke again. "You realize getting into the village would have been easy had you simply gone to the Hokage and told him who you were." It was a statement, not a question.

Gai, clearly confused at the casual manner in which Daisuke acted, stammered out a question. "Daisuke who... How do you... How did you... What is going on here?"

Daisuke turned to Gai. "She's something of an old friend. It's been a while. I had thought her to be dead, apparently, I was wrong. How did I know she was fake? You and Tenten practically told me yourselves, and Hatori had a thing or two to say about the feeling he got around this one." He turned back to the intruder. "What ever happened to your brilliant plan, then? Weren't expecting me?"

The intruder was silent once more, though her shifting had mostly ceased, though she occasionally moved her hands a bit. Not once had she taken her eyes off Daisuke.

Daisuke stepped forward and whispered into the intruder's ear. Gai and Tenten could not hear what was said.

Long moments passed in silence. Eventually, the intruder smiled at Daisuke and turned towards Gai and Tenten.

Daisuke decided to formally introduce them. "Gai, Tenten, this is my old teammate, Naoko."

Tenten spoke under her breath, but due to how quiet everything was, what she said was heard anyway. "She's kind of quiet, don't you think?"

A small smile crept to the corners of Daisuke's mouth. "She just doesn't trust you yet. If I were in her position, I wouldn't either. Oh, and a quick warning, she's good with genjutsu."

Gai looked shocked, as if Daisuke had just read his mind. Daisuke continued. "Just letting you know so she doesn't have to kill you when you try to restrain her." He turned back to Naoko. "And if you want to call your friend out of the trees now, go ahead."

Naoko was looked surprised, then resumed her uncaring look. She shook her head from side to side.

Daisuke smiled. "Alright, if it's really _his_ choice not to come out."

Tenten took Daisuke by the wrist and pulled him aside. "It seems like you're having a conversation with her, but she's not saying anything. You act as though she is, and you respond. Could you fill me in on what's going on here?"

"I told you already. She's good with genjutsu."

"So she's just tricking me into thinking she's not talking?"

"No, I'm the one being affected. I told you, she doesn't trust you yet. If she did, she be talking to you, too."

"Gee, you two sure know how to make me feel good."

"Sarcasm will get you nowhere with her, since sarcasm is basically lying. If you lie to her, she knows. I'm still not entirely sure how she knows exactly. Now, don't you think we're being rude? Plus, I don't think I've ever seen Gai quite like this. Maybe you should take him to go see Lee in the hospital. I'll make sure Naoko stays out of trouble."

"Wait, Lee's in the hospital" Tenten spoke just a bit too loudly, and Gai overheard.

Before Tenten could react, Gai was at her side. "Come, Tenten, if the true Lee is in the hospital, she we, his youthful teammates, not visit him?"

"Alright, I'll go, but give me a minute." Tenten looked back at Daisuke. "How do you know he's in the hospital?"

"Konoha's Jonin aren't _that_ incompetent."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Before she got an answer, Gai pulled her away, off at breakneck speed to the hospital. She had trouble keeping up, even though she only did because Gai still had her by the wrist.

Daisuke watched them go, then walked back to Naoko. "Alright, they're gone. Now will you please explain what you're doing here?"

Their eyes met, and for a long moment, neither of them moved, neither of them broke eye contact.

But eventually, Naoko looked away. "We've got a team now, right? Can't things go back to the way they were?"

"Things can never just 'go back'. Naoko, there were so many better ways... You know Gai may never forgive you for what you did to Lee, right? And if Gai can't forgive you, Lee probably won't. Tenten would side with them over you. And if they're all against you, it doesn't matter what I say or do, they'll never really care about you. If my friends don't get along with my other friends, things aren't going to be easy."

"That's not important. We're still friends, right? And Yuuna? She still likes me, right? If one of us can reach Jonin, we can go on missions together again..."

"If? There's no if. I know for a fact that I could become a Jonin within days from now if I wanted to, but I'd want to talk it over with you and Yuuna first. I'd probably want to speak to Tenten and Gai as well."

"I'm not hearing a straight refusal."

"Because there isn't one. But there isn't a straight acceptance either."

"You've definitely grown up, Daisuke."

"I have a question for you. Explain the story of your death. People around here think you're dead..."

"Genjutsu."

"And the three villages that claim to have seen you after your death, yet all three saw you at the same time?"

"Genjutsu."

"And your friend? Also genjutsu?"

"No." Naoko stopped and thought for a moment. "He explained it once, I think it's ninjutsu."

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Tenten managed to stop Gai's frantic running long enough to stop at the hospital's front desk to ask which room Lee was in. As soon as the number was said, Gai was off again. Tenten lingered a bit longer, asking directions to the room. Gai might know the hospital, but Tenten didn't.

Tenten went to Lee's room, and found the door open. She went in, only to find Gai and Lee deep into a conversation. She heard the words 'youth' and 'youthful' far too many times for her own liking. She was pretty sure Gai was crying, probably tears of joy, and it was obvious that Lee was doing the same. Eventually, their conversation ended.

Lee looked at Tenten. "Tenten, youthful flower, I am so glad to see you that I would hug you if I had the strength to move."

"I have no doubt that you would, Lee." Tenten sighed. "If Neji were here, it'd be a nice reunion..."

"Actually, Neji showed up three days ago. It was great to see my youthful teammate once again. Did you know he's got a new girlfriend?"

Tenten practically leaped onto Lee, taking him by the shoulders and shaking him. "WHAT? He's got a girlfriend already? Tell me everything, Lee!"

"Tenten, please stop shaking me!" He waited for Tenten to stop and calm down before continuing. "Truth be told, I am not sure if they are actually dating at the time, but Neji showed up with this girl, and he acted differently around her. I swear I saw him smile at her on the way out."

"Lee, you've never been the best judge of relationships."

"No, but they have been training together every day since she arrived, and from what I hear, Neji is having trouble beating her. Maybe you should go see for yourself, you'll see what I'm talking about."

Tenten was halfway out the door when she looked back and Lee. "Get well soon, Lee. I wish I'd brought you flowers or something, but we just got back. I'm going to go water my plants at home. See you later."

"Wait, Tenten... Tell Neji I said hello."

Tenten blushed. "I'm not going to go see Neji, Lee."

"Tenten, you never were a very good liar."

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"Alright, Naoko, it's time to go pay Yuuna a visit. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you."

"You're sure I won't get in trouble?"

"We'll speak with the Hokage tomorrow first thing. But right now, I'm sure he's fairly busy, either working or sleeping. Yuuna doesn't have the same obligations as he does, so she probably won't mind being woken up to see you."

Naoko nodded her agreement. Daisuke and Naoko leaped onto the rooftops, heading for the Hyuuga compound.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the gates of the Hyuuga compound. One of the guards on duty approached them. "State your name and business."

"This is Naoko, I would be Daisuke. We're here to see Yuuna. It's rather important. Ask her yourself if you don't believe me."

The guard signaled to the other to watch the two of them as he went into the compound to find Yuuna.

"Just tell her that Daisuke is here to see her." Daisuke called after the guard before turning to Naoko. "I have an idea. Let's surprise her."

"I take back what I said earlier, maybe you haven't grown up. What's the plan?"

"How about you wait out in a clearing in the trees, and I meet her here at the gates. After a little while, I'll tell her I've got something to show her. We'll walk into the trees, still talking about trivial things. When we make it to the clearing, you'll just be sitting there as if you'd never left in the first place. Go now, the guard is coming back."

Naoko ran off into the trees as the guard returned. "Yuuna-san wanted me to tell you to wait here, and that she'll be out momentarily."

Sure enough, Yuuna came up to the two of them at that very moment. "Daisuke! I haven't seen you in weeks! You look well. Was the mission a success?"

At the mention of the mission, Daisuke looked away, thinking of what he had done to the village. After a moment, he looked Yuuna in the eye. "The mission was successful, if the end justifies the means. I'd rather not talk about it right now. However... I do have something I'd like to show you."

"Really? Where is it?"

"Follow me, I'll show you."

The two of them walked into the trees. "You do know that you could have waited until morning before talking to me, right?"

"This was somewhat urgent."

"What was?"

"The thing I want you to see."

"Can't you just give me a hint or something? You've got me all worked up about this..."

The clearing was just ahead. "It's right through here."

As they entered the clearing, Yuuna gasped. She ran straight to Naoko and hugged her for a while.

Naoko, looked uncomfortable with the physical contact, but let Yuuna continue anyway. "It's been a while, hasn't it Yuuna?"

"Naoko, is it really you? But... I thought you were dead..."

Daisuke laughed. "I thought the same. Turns out Naoko ended up specializing in genjutsu."

"So then, Daisuke, if you've got summons down pat, which are ninjutsus, and Yuuna's got taijutsu... Doesn't that make us a perfect combination?"

"Naoko, let Yuuna make the decision on her own. Stop trying to influence her."

"What decision?"

Naoko and Daisuke looked at each other. Daisuke decided to be the one to tell her, as he knew Naoko would probably try to make it sound better than it was. "Naoko thought that since we're together again, we should be a team once more. I could easily become a Jonin, and lead the team, so we'd get to go on mission. The decision is this, do you want us to be a team again?"


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 10

"Hokage-sama?"

"You know I'm busy, so this better be important."

"It... it is. It has to do with one of our shinobi, Daisuke."

"What did he do?"

"Well... it's not really just one thing he did. He was a missing nin for a year, correct?"

"He was."

"And he was classified as an A-rank shinobi, correct?"

"He was. Where is this leading?"

"I have been checking over some of the reports filed about him during the year he was missing. Hokage-sama, shouldn't he be considered an S-rank shinobi?"

"When I ranked him, he deserved to be A-rank. Some of his more recent activity has caused me to believe that he should be S-rank, yes."

"That's still something of an understatement... But regardless, if he is S-rank, he'll be considering the Jonin exams so he can take more difficult missions, correct?"

"He should be. Would you please get to the point? I still have work to do."

"We already know he'll pass the exams, and so does every other village. Wouldn't it be wise to simply elevate him now so we don't have to risk other countries seeing his power? Sort of like a secret weapon."

"Is that all you came in here for?"

"Well, I know you have an order that you get your work done in, and the Jonin exams aren't very pressing at the moment, but if we don't elevate him now, he'll apply. And if he applies, but doesn't show up for the exams, it'll seem strange. If he applies and does show up, every country will see his strength."

The Hokage thought for a while. Eventually, he spoke. "Bring me the necessary forms. I think you're right about this one. This should be taken care of immediately."

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"You two realize we just saw each other last night, correct?"

"Of course, but now that it's morning, we can get some work done."

"Work such as...?" Daisuke left the sentence open, as if asking one of them to finish the sentence.

"Training, among other things. Also, you applying for the Jonin exams."

"Do you two really want me to do that? Do you really want to be a team again?" Daisuke asked the question to both of them, yet he looked at Yuuna as if he expected more of an answer from her.

"Of course I really want to be a team again! I've missed you two for so long, and now we're all together again. Besides, Neji will be back with his team soon, so I'll be short one sparring partner. I can't think of anything else I'd want if we could be a team again."

"Alright then, Daisuke, it's settled. Both me and Yuuna want to be a team again, and you said you'd be fine with it if we both wanted it, so stop asking if it's what we really want! However soon you can become a Jonin... You get the idea. Come on, just apply for the exams."

"Fine. I'll go see the Hokage. I'm not sure if he's working just yet, though."

"Go check anyways. The two of us will be waiting at training field seventeen."

Naoko and Yuuna were about to depart when Daisuke stopped them. "Why training field seventeen?"

"We need to shake things up every now and then, otherwise we'll never get used to fighting on foreign terrain."

Naoko and Yuuna went one way, and Daisuke went another.

Daisuke decided not to jump to the rooftops, and walked along the roads instead. He had no particular reason to hurry, and no reason to take longer than necessary, so he settled at a relaxed pace.

When he made it to the Hokage's office, Daisuke sighed, then knocked on the door. He heard the Hokage tell him to enter. A quick handshake was all the greeting Daisuke decided to give, preferring to get to business and get out of the Hokage's way as quickly as possible. "Hokage-sama, I would like to participate in the Jonin exams."

"There is no need for that. Considerations have been made, and the council agrees that you should be promoted to Jonin immediately. We had the meeting just recently, though we had intended to have it while you were away on your mission. With your prowess, you should not be held back to Chunin level missions when you would be of much more benefit on Jonin level missions." The Hokage paused to hand Daisuke his new vest. "Your versatile skills have led me to believe that you could make a functional cell with any two shinobi of Jonin or Chunin level. I would like to put you in a cell with two of our shinobi who work incredibly well together, but poorly with anyone else. Their names are..."

Daisuke interrupted. "All due respect, I'd prefer to make my own cell. I have two other members in mind already, Yuuna Hyuuga and Yamanashi Naoko."

The Hokage laughed. "Daisuke, it is fortunate that you picked those two particular Chunin, since they were the same two that I had chosen. They've been away for a while, and haven't been able to form bonds with anybody here yet, so they'll fare poorly on a cell for a period of time. However, if you are the third of their cell, you all know and trust each other already, so the period of time will be eliminated completely."

"Thank you for this Hokage-sama. It will be good to be out on missions with them again."

"Speaking of which, that reminds me of two things I needed to ask you. First, once the decision was made to promote you to Jonin, your first mission was chosen." The Hokage handed Daisuke the paperwork for the mission, to let Daisuke read over it. "This is an A-rank mission. Your cell will make up half the team of shinobi on this mission. Your cell will act as vanguards for the first caravan traveling through the Lightning country, the other team will escort the ambassador personally. The caravan your team will be guarding is a decoy, and will, without the slightest doubt, be attacked. Keep it intact as long as you can. If and when it is destroyed, regroup with the other team, and protect the team and the ambassador with your lives. The other team will not be Jonin or Chunin. We do not have the man power to spend on this part. They will be Genin, simply because their mission is to guard an ambassador who will most likely not be attacked by any major threat."

Daisuke gave back the papers. "It is as good as done. And the second thing you wanted to ask?"

"About your previous mission, you are the only one who has not reported yet."

"The village is no longer a threat."

"Give me the whole story. I don't understand what you mean if you only give me bits and pieces."

"We located the village easily."

"Yes, Gai informed me of that."

"Did he also inform you of our first attempt at gathering information?"

"He did."

"Good. After that attempt failed, I sent them back here, since my plan wouldn't work with them around. I tried my own methods to gather the information." Daisuke closed his eyes and thought for a moment. Eventually, he reopened his eyes, but wouldn't look at the Hokage. "I remember the numbers. Shinobi of Chunin rank or higher: three thousand four hundred eighty seven. Genin or Academy students: four hundred ninety six."

"And that is not a threat?"

"Not any longer. I infiltrated the village, accessed their stored information, and..."

After waiting for Daisuke to continue for a while, the Hokage spoke up. "And what? This is a report, you can't just leave a blank like that"

"...And I... took care of everything. I never learned the name of the village, I never learned the name of their would-be Kage, I never looked out over the village to get an estimate of it's size. But none of that matter anymore. The village is no more. The Kage is no more. The current number of shinobi is different now."

"Different how?"

"The current numbers are these. Number of shinobi in the village: zero. Estimated number of civilians in the village: zero. I'm sure you can piece the important parts together from there. I'll take my leave."

Daisuke was out the door before the Hokage could speak again.

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Naoko was waiting for Daisuke at the training field. She clearly had not yet begun training.

Naoko smiled at Daisuke as he approached. "How did it go?"

"As well as could be expected."

Naoko was admiring his vest. "So you're a Jonin now?"

"That I am."

"Alright then. If you're the Jonin of our cell, then that makes you the team leader. How shall we train then?"

"Let's see... The mission said we'd be vanguards, so let's see if we can't find another cell to help us out."

"Wait, what mission?"

Daisuke smiled at Naoko. "That'll have to wait until Yuuna gets back. Speaking of Yuuna... where is she?"

"She decided to run home quickly to grab a few things she left behind. She said she'd be back soon."

"Alright then. You're prepared, correct?"

"Of course. I'm always as ready as I'm ever going to be."

Yuuna came running up to Naoko and Daisuke. "Sorry about that. So, what have you two been doing?"

Daisuke looked at Naoko, as if to speak to her through his eyes. "We were about to discuss our first mission, and also our first training session as a three man cell."

"We've got a mission already?"

"Of course. Three shinobi as skilled as we are can't sit on the sidelines for too long."

"So what is it?"

"Here's the gist of it. Basically, we're vanguards for a decoy caravan. A second team will escort the ambassador. We are to protect the decoy as long as possible, drawing attention away from the second team, who is guarding the really important part of this mission. They aren't even Chunin yet, due to a shortage of shinobi of higher rank, so if anything goes wrong, or the decoy is destroyed, we are to protect them and the ambassador with our lives."

"Alright, that seems easy enough."

"The strategy is as follows. Yuuna, you'll be keeping an eye out for potential attackers. Naoko, I'm fairly certain that your bird friend can lend a hand in that department. I'll scatter some summons throughout the area and keep a watch out for anything out of the ordinary. When we are attacked, I want Naoko to stay back and keep them under genjutsu. Yuuna, you'll be the front line. I'll provide support for you with some more summons. Everyone understand?"

Naoko and Yuuna both spoke in unison. "Hai."

"Now let's go find out who the Genin team we'll be accompanying is and figure out a backup plan for protecting them just in case the decoy is destroyed.

"So you're paying another visit to the Hokage?"

"You two are coming with. I'm sure the Hokage has some other things he'd like to discuss with me, but I need to be a responsible leader, so he can't keep me behind."

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"Gai-sensei, is it true? Lee says we've got a new mission already."

"Yes, Tenten, he would be correct. I've sent him to fetch Neji so I can tell you all the specifics of the mission."

"Here they come now."

"I knew Lee would bring him back quickly. That boy is positively brimming with youth!"

Neji nodded in greeting to Tenten and Gai. "Alright, I'm here. What's so important?"

Gai looked at each of the three Genin in turn as he spoke to them. "Lee, this mission is most likely an easy one, but it has potential to become very, dangerous very quickly. Neji, your particular talents will be a necessity on this mission. Tenten, try not to get caught up in reminiscing with old friends."

Tenten's expression changed from her usual happy self, to a very confused look. "What are you talking about Gai-sensei?"

"You'll see soon enough. Now, let me explain this mission. The Hokage ranked this as a C-rank mission, so he trusts you all to preform well. We will be acting as an escort to an ambassador. We aren't supposed to ask where he is from, nor why he is going to the farthest border of the Lightning country. The Hokage was very specific on that point. We are to take him there, and come back home as quickly as possible."

Neji had closed his eyes and leaned against a tree soon after Gai started talking. "If that's the mission, why is it C-rank instead of D-rank? And where is the potential to become dangerous?"

"The catch is this. We will only be half of the team. The other half will consist of a three man cell, two Chunin and a Jonin. Their job is to protect the decoy caravan so our small group can have a higher chance of getting through the country without a hitch. If they fail to protect the caravan, the assailants will come directly to us, and that's where it becomes dangerous. The cell will try to protect us and the ambassador, but our safety can not be guaranteed at that point."

"So, essentially, our lives depend on their abilities?"

"Essentially."


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 11

"Daisuke, who is the second team anyways?"

Daisuke hadn't been listening, as he was lost in thought at the time. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Naoko sighed. "Who is the team of Genin we have to protect in this upcoming mission?"

"You'll see when they get here. Remember, they have a Byakugan user, so don't expect to take them all by surprise with anything. Not that they won't be surprised anyways..."

"Would you stop being so cryptic? You say something deceptively simple and then something complicated... I beginning to miss the old you who talked a lot, but said little."

"Now who's being cryptic? Anyways, I'm sure you'll both be pleased with the team we're protecting. They've got two of Konoha's most promising Genin and the third is most likely the top Kunoichi or close to it this year."

"So they're good? That's good, I won't have to waste as much time protecting them."

"Remember, the idea is that we stay hidden and ambush anyone who tries to attack their team or the ambassador."

Yuuna deactivated her Byakugan and looked to Daisuke. "Daisuke, I think they're here. I think I saw..."

Daisuke cut her off while smiling at Naoko. "Don't say any names. We don't want to ruin the fun for Naoko. I knew who they are and you just figured it out. Let's let Naoko have her moment. One question though, did he see you?"

Yuuna shook he head from side to side. "His eyes were deactivated."

"Would one of you please tell me who you're talking about? How could anybody have seen us? We're in the middle of a forest."

"The same way I see them. It _is_ a bloodline trait, you know. I'm not the only one who can use it."

"Besides, they're here." Daisuke added.

Naoko turned to look where Daisuke and Yuuna were looking. At that very moment, a man clad in green leapt from the trees straight at Naoko with one leg extended.

The flying kick would've worked perfectly if Yuuna had not intercepted his attack with a Palm Rotation. At that time, hundreds of kunai came at Daisuke's cell from all the trees around them. Yuuna and Naoko both acted quickly, launching kunai of their own to intercept the kunai that would hit them and simply dodging the rest. Naoko spotted the one launching the kunai and used a genjutsu to temporarily incapacitate them.

Two more figures sprinted from the trees, one much faster than the other. The faster one wore green, like the first attacker, Yuuna had to step into his path, since Naoko had no chance of matching such speed. On the other hand, Naoko did catch the second figure in a genjutsu which brought him to his knees quickly enough. Together, Naoko and Yuuna brought the faster figure to the ground as well.

Four figures lay on the ground, and not even one member of Daisuke's cell had so much as a scratch. Daisuke laughed. "Alright then, Gai, it seems I was right. It's a good thing we decided not to place a wager, else you'd owe me some money."

Naoko, thoroughly confused, spoke at once. "What?!?"

The first figure staggered to his feet as Daisuke asked Naoko to lift the genjutsus off the other three. Soon enough all four figures were on their feet again.

Now both Yuuna and Naoko had a chance to see their 'attackers'.

Yuuna's gaze immediately went to the only other white eyed shinobi present. "Neji, I didn't expect that sort of greeting from you... A 'hello' would have been nice before the attack."

"Hn."

Daisuke's laughter stopped. He pointed to each member of the team standing nearby as he introduced them. "I'd like you both to meet the team we'll be protecting. That would be Neji, the Hyuuga clan's supposed prodigy. Though I think Yuuna could take him down. That would be Lee, a taijutsu specialist. That would be their Jonin leader, Gai. And last, but not least, is Tenten. Konoha's Weapons Mistress."

Gai spoke up once Daisuke finished. "Now that my team has been introduced, I believe I should introduce these three. You all know Daisuke already, though I don't believe you've ever met him personally before, Neji. The other two are Yuuna and Naoko. Tenten, Lee, I'm sure you two remember Naoko from the other day, though there were hardly any formal introductions. And I believe we all know Yuuna, thanks to Neji, who's youth has finally begun to shine." He turned to Yuuna. "I'm not entirely sure what it is you've done to him, but keep doing it, he's beginning to open up and feel more comfortable around people."

"Now to clear everything up." Daisuke began. "Yuuna, Naoko, I'm sure you're wondering why they attacked us. Tenten, Lee, Neji, I'm sure you're wondering why Gai told you to attack without knowing your target first. It was a demonstration. Gai wanted to see just how competent my two Chunin partners are, and this was how I decided to show him. In the midst of an ambush, my cell did not sustain so much as a scratch, yet managed to bring all four of you down quickly. I believe this proves our competence."

Naoko was fuming. "This was a demonstration?!? Four shinobi attack us out of nowhere and we..."

"It doesn't matter. You both came out of it just fine, though I wish you'd been a bit gentler on the Genin. B-rank genjutsu have been known to leave lasting effects on their victims. Alright, now, Gai and I have been talking since we were assigned this mission, and we find it best to train as a unit. We already know how well my cell functions alone, so we need a plan in case the caravan is destroyed."

All seven noticed something moving through the trees. Instinctively, both Neji and Yuuna activated their Byakugan. Daisuke fought back a laugh as he saw how similar the two of them were. "You may as well come out of the trees. We've got two Hyuugas with us currently, and they can both see you right now."

Slowly, a woman walked out from the trees, as if reluctant to leave the safety of the shadows. She wore a hitai-ite bearing Konoha's symbol.

Neji and Yuuna deactivated their eyes as Daisuke approached the newcomer. "What's your business here?"

"The Hokage sent me as a medical ninja for this mission. Seven shinobi on a mission... The chances that not a single one of them will sustain an injury aren't very good."

"No sense in arguing with a good idea. All right then, what's your name?"

"I go by Hikari."

"If the Hokage sent you, why were you hiding from us?"

"I'm not very socially inclined... And I didn't want to interrupt anything."

"If you're to travel with us, you should be included in our training. Anyways, let me introduce you to everybody. I'm Daisuke, technically, I'm the leader of this unit, but Gai has much more experience than I do. The two men in green are Gai and Lee, Gai being the Jonin, and Lee being his pupil. Our two white eyed friends are Yuuna, a close friend of mine, and Neji. The last Chunin is Naoko, also a close friend of mine. Last, is Tenten, I haven't known her for long, but she grows on you quickly. If I were you, I'd be careful around Gai and Lee, they can be rather obnoxious at times, just ask Tenten or Neji."

"How are you going to train seven people at once?"

A small smile found it's way to Daisuke's mouth. "You'll wish you hadn't asked that after it's over. This training is not going to be easy." Daisuke turned so he was facing everyone. "Alright, here's how things are going to work. I'll be the enemy. Let's see how long all of you can hold out."

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Three hours passed, everybody trying their hardest to defeat Daisuke's onslaught. Gai even resorted to opening some of his inner gates. Sheer numbers eventually overwhelmed the seven shinobi, and Daisuke ceased his attacks, giving them a well deserved rest. "Alright, while I'm waiting, I'll give you all a few pointers. I don't mean to sound arrogant, it's just that I saw some things that could be the difference between life and death. Tenten, you're still wasting just a bit too much chakra. I can tell you've improved, but keep working at it. Neji, activating your eyes so early in a match gives your opponent time to realize that you've got them, and thus allows them to formulate a counter-strategy. Yuuna, this goes for you too. Lee, your attacks are far too linear, most skilled shinobi can see your next move well ahead of time. Use your speed to your advantage, utilize feints and bluffs."

Lee gave a somewhat serious looking salute. "I will do just that Daisuke! By the time we leave for this mission, I will have incorporated them into my fighting style. And if I have not, I will..."

Daisuke continued speaking, and didn't hear what Lee decided to punish himself with. "Gai, you've had plenty of experience with what you do, and I'm not in much of a position to tell you what you're doing wrong, as you know all the shortcomings of your style. Naoko, you need to stay near one of the taijutsu users in the unit at all times. Due to your specialty, you are left with very little to protect you from attacks. Staying near someone who can protect you is you best bet. Lastly, Hikari, if you are to be part of this unit, you must actively participate in battle. If an ally falls mid battle, you are to be at their side as soon as it is safe enough. You stood away from combat far too long. Your allies were down before anybody turned on you, and you had no chance against almost any single one of them."

Naoko, laying face up on the ground, turned her head towards Daisuke. "Aren't the results of this session a bit skewed, since you'll be with us on the mission, but here you were against us?"

Yuuna managed to sit up. "She's right. Was the only point of this to find out our shortcomings?"

Daisuke smiled again. "No, I wanted to see what level you were all at. But that's a personal desire that just happened to be fulfilled through the actions I needed to do as the leader of this unit."

Tenten sighed. "How convenient..."

"For me and for all of you. If the Hokage could have seen what just happened here, I'm quite sure Konoha would have a few more Chunin and Jonin. If that's not inspiration for you three Genin to take the Chunin exams, I don't know what is. Anyways, that would be all the training for today unless..." Daisuke turned to Gai. "Unless you have any more to go through."

"I had planned some endurance exercises, but that was as vigorous as anything I could have come up with, so I think most of our Genin and Chunin need to get some rest."

"You heard him. Get home and get some rest. We'll meet back here tomorrow at the same time. Tenten, I'd like to speak with you before you go."

Neji and Yuuna departed first, heading in the same direction, since they had the same destination. Lee and Gai were next to go. Hikari took some time to catch her breath but left soon enough. Last to leave, Naoko wandered off into the trees.

Tenten remained sitting where she was. "What did you want to talk to me about, Daisuke?"

"I wanted to teach you a unique jutsu I learned myself not too long ago."

Tenten groaned. "You kept me from going home for additional training?"

"No summoner is complete without this jutsu. In fact, it's always the first I use in a battle."

"Alright, fine. What is this jutsu?"

"You're probably wondering how I summon so quickly. Even though you know how I preform two summons at once, you still can't figure out how I preform so many so quickly, can you?"

"I've wondered about that, yes. No one else has, since they don't summon nearly as much as I do, so they don't know how hard it is to summon quickly."

"What if I told you it is possible to summon a summoner?"

"What are you talking about?"

"To preform a summon which can, in turn, preform summons of it's own. I summon two, it summons two, and thanks to my experience, it takes only about half the time a normal person takes to summon. So, I'm getting eight summons per the average shinobi's one. Fair? Hardly, but that's what I do."

"Okay, so why not just summon two summoners, and have them summon summoners, and so on until you can summon thousands of beasts in seconds?"

"Each summoning takes chakra, as you know. The summoners require half of your chakra, so they can use it to summon. Because they use your chakra, they can use any summons you can, but only summons you know. So, summoning multiple would take an incredible amount of chakra, and would limit the number of other summons you can actually preform."

"And you'll teach me this?"

"Of course. It is in the best interests of everybody in this unit for you to know it. And it's pointless to keep from teaching a close friend something so useful."

Tenten blushed, she hadn't thought of him as a close friend, but it _was_ true. The way they could act around one another proved it, she just hadn't spent time thinking about the matter. She was beginning to understand how Hinata felt, to be blushing all the time around a certain someone.

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Alright, that's all for this story.

I intend to write the sequel, but I might not, depending on what people think of this one.

I left off before they went on the mission for a reason. But the reason is for me to know, and for you to (maybe) find out.

Review, and tell me what you think. Suggestions to improve, things you liked, things you disliked, anything you'd like to say... Whatever you'd like to say, I'll take it into account if I write another story.


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